THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 

ENDOWED  BY 

JOHN  SPRUNT  HILL 
CLASS  OF  1889 


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FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


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CASTLEMON'S    WAR  SERIES. 


MARCY 


THE 


BLOCKADE- RUNNER 

BY 

HARRY  CASTLEMON, 

AUTHOR    OF    "gunboat    SBRIES,"    "rOCKY    MOUNTAIN    SERIES/' 

"sportsman's  club  series,"  etc.,  etc. 
Four  Illustrations  by   Geo,  G.   White. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 

PORTER    &    COATES. 


Copyright,  1891, 

BY 

PORTER   &   COATES. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

I.  MARCY   HAS  A   VISITOR, 

II.  HIDING   THE   FLAGS, 

III.  BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF, 

IV.  TWO   NARROW   ESCAPES, 

V.  A   CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS,      . 

YI.  RUNNING  THE   BLOCKADE, 

YII.  THE  mate's   LUCKY   SHOT, 

yill.  A   NOISE   AT   THE   WINDOW,     . 

IX.  THE    "  SUMTER"    LOSES   A    PRIZE, 

X.  A   COOL   PROPOSITION,     . 

XI.  THE   BANNER   ON    THE   WALL,       . 

XII.  CONFLICTING   REPORTS, 

XIII.  UNION   OR    CONFEDERATE — WHICH  ? 

XIY.  JULIUS  IN   TROUBLE, 

XY.  THE  ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS, 

XYI.  OFF   FOR  THE   FLEET,      . 

XYII.  AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING, 

XYIII.  CONCLUSION, 


PAG3 
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>- 


rt) 

<:* 

( 

:\ 

MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER, 


CHAPTER  I. 

MARCY  HAS   A  VISITOR. 

rPl  HE  boys  who  liave  read  the  first  volume 
JL  of  this  series  of  books,  in  which  we  fol- 
lowed the  fortunes  of  our  Union  hero,  Marcy 
Gray,  and  described  the  jiersevering  but 
unsuccessful  efforts  he  made  to  be  true 
to  his  colors  in  deed  as  well  as  in  spirit,  will 
remember  that  we  left  him  at  his  home 
near  Nashville,  North  Carolina,  enjoying  a 
brief  respite  from  the  work  he  so  heartily 
detested^  that  of  j^rivateering.  He  had  made 
one  voyage  in  the  Osprey  under  Ca^^tain 
Beardsley,  during  which  he  assisted  in  captur- 
ing the  schooner  Mary  Hollins,  bound  from 
Havana  to  Boston  with  an  assorted  cargo. 
When  the  prize  was  brought  into  the  port  of 

Newbern  the  Avhole  town  went  wild  with   ex- 

1 


• 


2  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNEE. 

citement,  Captain  Beardsley's  agent  being  so 
highly  elated  that  he  urged  the  master  of  the 
Osprey  to  run  out  at  once  and  try  his  luck 
again,  before  the  capture  of  the  Hollins  be- 
came known  at  the  North.  But  Beardsley, 
who  was  afraid  to  trust  landsharks  any  farther 
than  he  could  see  them,  declared  with  a  good 
deal  of  earnestness  that  he  would  not  budge 
an  inch  until  the  legality  of  the  capture 
had  been  settled  by  the  courts,  the  vessel 
and  cargo  sold,  and  the  dollars  that  be- 
longed to  him  and  his  crew  were  i^lanked 
down  in  their  two  hands.  Knowing  that 
it  would  take  time  to  go  through  all  these 
formalities,  Marcy  Gray  asked  for  a  leave  of 
absence,  which  Beardsley  granted  according  to 
23romise,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  after 
the  Osprey  was  hauled  alongside  th^  wharf, 
her  disgusted  young  pilot,  wishing  from  the 
bottom  of  his  heart  that  she  might  sink  out  of 
sight  before  he  ever  saw  her  again,  left  her  and 
went  home  as  fast  as  the  cars  could  take  him. 
When  we  last  saw  him  he  had  reached  his 
mother's  house,  and  was  reading  a  letter  from 
his  cousin,  Rodney^  the  Partisan^  a  portion  of 


MARCY   HAS    A   VISITOR.  3 

which  we  gave  to  the  reader  at  the  close  of  the 
first  volume  of  this  series. 

"Rodney  is  full  of  enthusiasm,  isn't  he?" 
exclaimed  Marcy,  when  he  had  finished  read- 
ing the  letter.  "  He  says  he  looks  for  'high 
old  times'  running  the  Yankees  out  of  Mis- 
souri, but  I  am  afraid  he'll  not  enjoy  them  as 
much  as  he  thinks  he  will.  Perhaps  the  Yan- 
kees are  not  good  runners.  But  Rodney  has 
been  true  to  his  colors  and  I  have  not.  I  said 
I  never  would  fight  against  the  Union,  but  I 
have  stood  by  and  seen  a  gun  fired  at  the  old 
flag  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  skipper  of 
the  Holliiis^  when  he  saw  me  aboard  the  priva- 
teer, took  me  for  as  good  a  rebel  as  there  was 
in  the  crew.  Perhaps  he  will  see  his  mistake 
some  day.  I  shall  have  to  accept  my  share  of 
the  prize  money,  for  if  I  don't  Beardsley's 
suspicions  will  be  aroused  ;  but  I'll  put  it 
away  and  send  it  to  the  master  of  the  Holllns 
the  first  good  chance  I  get.  Has  Wat  Gifford 
been  here  since  I  went  to  sea  ?  You  know  he 
Avarned  me  of  two  secret  enemies  I  would  have 
to  look  out  for,  and  hinted  that  he  would  some 
day  tell  me  who  the  rest  are."     ["But  I  think 


4  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

I  know  already,"  added  Marcy  mentally.] 
While  lie  was  at  sea  lie  had  had  ample  leisure 
to  think  over  the  situation,  and  had  made  np 
his  mind  that  he  knew  right  where  the  most 
serious  danger  that  threatened  him  and  his 
mother  w^as  coming  from. 

*' Walter  has  been  here,"  replied  Mrs. 
Gray,  ''and  I  understand  that  he  has  since 
gone  back  to  the  army,  his  furlough,  which 
was  a  short  one,  having  expired.  I  was  glad 
to  see  Walter,  for  it  was  a  very  great  relief  to 
visit  with  some  one  to  whom  I  knew  I  could 
talk  freely  ;  but  I  must  say  he  left  a  very  un- 
pleasant impression  on  my  mind.  He  told 
me,  in  so  many  words,  that  we  are  suspected 
of  being  traitors  at  heart,  and  that  there  are 
but  few  of  our  neighbors  we  can  trust." 

"And  who  are  they?"  inquired  Marcy. 
"When  w^e  know  who  our  friends  are,  it  will 
be  no  trouble  for  us  to  pick  out  our  ene- 
mies." 

"I  asked  Walter  that  very  question,  and 
after  some  hesitation  he  w^as  obliged  to  con- 
fess that  he  could  not  name  a  single  person. 
There  are  some  who  denounce  secession  in  the 


MARCY   HAS   A   VISITOR.  5 

very  strongest  terms,  but  that  doesn't  prove 
anything,  for  Walter  has  often  done  the  same 
thing  himself,  and  he  is  a  rebel  soldier,"  said 
Mrs.  Gray  sadly.  "  Only  think  of  it,  Marcy  ! 
To  not  one  of  the  many  who  were  our  warm 
friends  in  times  past,  can  we  go  for  advice  and 
sympathy,  now  that  trouble  is  coming  upon 
us.     Is  it  not  dreadful  T' 

''Who  cares  for  advice  or  sympathy?" 
exclaimed  the  boy  wrathfully.  "We've 
got  each  other  and  Jack  to  go  to  when  the 
pinch  comes,  and  outsiders  can  just  mind  their 
own  business  and  live  to  themselves,  and  let 
lis  do  the  same.  Traitors  !  That  word  doesn't 
apj)ly  to  us,  mother." 

"I  know  it  doesn't;  but  for  all  that  I  am 
afraid  that  the  '  outsiders,'  as  you  call  them, 
will  not  let  us  live  to  ourselves.  Young  Gif- 
ford  almost  as  good  as  told  me  that  some  of 
our  near  neighbors  intend  to  keej)  themselves 
X3osted  in  regard  to  our  movements." 

"The — the  impudence  of  the  thing!"  ex- 
claimed the  young  pilot,  pounding  his  knees 
with  his  clenched  hands.  "Who's  going  to 
keej)   them  posted?    Where  do  they  expect 


6  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 


to  get  tlieir  information  ?  Tlirougli  the  over- 
seer ? ' ' 

"Through  the  overseer,"  whispered  Mrs. 
Gray,  in  reply. 

"Are  you  afraid  to  speak  the  words  out 
loud?"  cried  Marcy,  who  had  seldom  been  so 
excited  as  he  was  at  that  moment.  "Great 
Moses !  Have  things  come  to  such  a  pass  that 
we  dare  not  talk  in  our  ordinary  tones  in  our 
own  house,  but  must  carry  on  our  conversa- 
tion in  whispers? " 

"I  was  in  hox)es  that  my  letters  would  pre- 
pare you  for  something  like  this,"  said  his 
mother  slowly. 

"Well,  they  didn't.  Of  course  I  knew  I 
should  find  things  changed,  but  I  never 
thought  we  should  be  spied  upon  in  our 
own  house,"  answered  Marcy.  "Traitors,  are 
we,  when  w^e  haven't  done  the  first  thing  to 
deserve  the  name  !  But  is  there  no  way  in 
which  that  villain  Hanson  can  be  got  rid  of?" 

"There  is  but  one  way  that  occurs  to  me 
now,"  was  the  reply.  "When  his  contract 
exjjires  w^e  can  tell  him  that  we  do  not  intend 
to  employ  an  overseer  any  longer." 


M ARC Y   HAS   A   VISITOR.  7 

''And  that  will  be  almost  a  year  from  now," 
groaned  Marcy.  ''How  can  we  live  for  so 
many  months,  knowing  all  the  while  that  our 
every  movement  is  watched,  and  that  some  one 
is  constantly  trying  to  catch  every  word  we 
say?  I  don't  believe  I  can  stand  it.  Did  Gif- 
ford  say  anything  about " 

Marcy  i3aused,  got  upon  his  feet,  and  opened 
quickly,  but  silently,  one  after  another,  all  the 
doors  that  led  from  the  room  in  which  he  and 
his  mother  were  sitting.  There  were  no  eaves- 
droppers among  the  servants  yet^  but  that  was 
no  sign  that  there  wouldn't  be  some  to-morrow 
or  next  day.  An  overseer  who  was  left  as 
much  to  himself  as  Hanson  was,  held  great 
X)ower  in  his  hands ;  and  some  negro  servants 
are  as  open  to  bribery  as  some  white  people 
are.  Having  made  sure  that  there  was  no  one 
listening  at  the  door,  Marcy  drew  his  chair 
close  to  his  mother's  side  before  he  spoke 
again. 

"Did  Gifford  say  anything  about  the  mon- 
ey— the  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  gold  you 
have  hidden  in  the  cellar  wall?"  he  asked, 
in  sujipressed  tones. 


8  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 


''He  did,  and  it  troubles  me  more  than  any- 
thing else  he  said  during  his  visit,"  replied 
Mrs.  Gray,  glancing  nervously  around  the 
room,  as  if  she  feared  that  there  might  be  a 
listener  concealed  behind  some  of  the  chairs  or 
under  the  sofa.  "  In  spite  of  my  utmost  care, 
that  matter,  Avhich  I  hoped  to  keep  from  the 
knowledge  of  even  the  most  faithful  among 
the  servants,  has  become  known.  I  cannot 
account  for  it.  It  fairly  unnerves  me  to  think  * 
of  it,  for  it  suggests  a  most  alarming  possibil- 
ity." 

"Did  Gifford  say,  in  so  many  words,  that 
you  were  known  to  have  money  in  the 
house?" 

"  He  did  not.     He  said  it  was  suspected." 

"And  what  is  the  alarming  possibility  you 
just  spoke  of  ?  "  continued  Marcy. 

"Why,  I  am  afraid  that  there  is  some 
trusted  person  nearer  to  me  than  the  overseer 
is — some  one  right  here  in  the  house  who  has 
been  watching  me  day  and  night,"  answered 
his  mother,  shivering  all  over  and  drawing 
nearer  to  her  sturdy  son,  as  if  for  i^rotection. 
"You  don't  know  how  it  makes  me  feel,  or 


MARCY   HAS   A   VISITOR.  9 

how  keenly  I  have  suffered  since  young  Gif- 
ford's  visit." 

"  I  wish  lie  had  stoj^ped  away,"  said  Marcy, 
almost  fiercely. 

"I don't,"  replied  his  mother.  "  He  meant 
it  for  the  best,  and  wouldn't  have  told  me  a 
word  if  I  had  not  insisted.  You  must  not 
blame  Walter.  It  is  best  that  I  should  under- 
stand the  situation  ;  and  Marcy,  you  know  you 
would  not  have  told  me  a  word  of  all  this  if 
Gifford  had  told  it  to  you." 

"Perhaps  he  did  say  something  to  me  about 
it,"  answered  the  boy,  with  an  air  which  said 
that  his  mother  had  not  been  telling  him  any- 
thing he  did  not  know  before.  "But  I  have 
been  more  careful  of  your  feelings  than  Gifford 
was." 

"  And  did  you  mean  to  leave  me  all  in  the 
dark  and  utterly  ignorant  of  the  i)erils  that 
surround  us  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Gray  reproachfully. 
"  Do  you  think  that  would  have  been  just  to 
me?  Don't  imagine,  because  you  are  my  pro- 
tector and  the  only  one  I  have  to  depend  on 
wdiile  Jack  is  at  sea,  that  you  have  all  the 
courage  there  is  between  us.     I    know    you 


10  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

would  shield  me  entirely  if  you  could,  but  it  is 
impossible ;  and  you  must  let  me  bear  my 
part.  I  shall  have  to  whether  you  consent  or 
not.  But  you  haven't  yet  told  me  where  you 
have  been,  how  you  captured  that  vessel,  what 
the  captain  said  about  it,  or — or  anything," 
she  added,  with  a  feeble  attempt  to  bring  the 
boy's  usual  smile  back  to  his  face.  "  Remem- 
ber, I  am  deeply  interested  in  all  that  you  do." 

"  Well,  you  wouldn't  be  if  you  had  seen  the 
cowardly  work  I  helped  Beardsley  carry  out," 
.  replied  Marcy.  "In  the  first  place.  Crooked 
Inlet  is  buoyed  in  such  a  way  that  the  stranger 
who  tries  to  go  through  it  will  run  his  vessel 
so  hard  and  fast  aground  that  she  will  be  likely 
to  stay  there  until  the  waves  make  an  end  of 
her,  or  the  shifting  sands  of  the  bar  bury  her 
out  of  sight."  . 

"  That's  murderous,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Gray, 
with  a  shudder.  "  Is  Captain  Beardsley  about 
to  turn  wTecker  ? ' ' 

"He  means  to  wreck  any  war  vessel  that 
may  give  chase  to  his  schooner,"  answ-ered 
Marcy.  "  If  we  are  pursued,  lean  take  the 
Osprey  through  all  right ;  but  if  the  man-of- 


MAECY    HAS   A   VISITOR.  11 

war  attempts  to  follow  us,  and  allows  herself 
to  be  guided  by  the  buoys,  she'll  stick.  Oh, 
it's  lovely  business — a  brave  and  honorable  busi- 
ness," exclaimed  the  boy,  running  his  hands 
through  his  hair  and  tumbling  it  up  as  he  used 
to  do  at  school  when  he  found  anything  in  his 
books  that  was  too  hard  for  him.  "  I  have  the 
I)rofoundest  contempt  for  the  villain  who 
brought  me  into  it,  and  despise  myself  for 
yielding  to  him." 

"But,  Marcy,  what  else  could  you  have 
done  1  Gilford  assured  me  it  was  the  only 
course  open  to  you,  and  that  by  shipping  as 
pilot  on  board  that  privateer  you  have  some- 
what allayed  suspicion." 

"Mother,"  said  Marcy,  placing  his  arm 
around  her  neck  and  whisi3ering  the  words  in 
her  ear,  ' '  Captain  Beardsley  doesn'  t  need  a 
pilot  any  more  than  he  needs  some  one  to  com- 
mand his  piratical  craft.  I  suspected  as  much 
all  the  while,  and  the  minute  we  got  up  to 
Crooked  Inlet  I  knew  it.     He  can  tell  you  more 

ft/ 

about  the  coast  in  five  minutes  than  I  could  in 
an  hour." 

"Of  course,  a  trader "  began  Mrs.  Gray. 


12  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

"Mother,"  repeated  Marcy,  "Lon  Eeards- 
ley  is  not  and  never  has  been  a  trader.  He's  a 
smuggler  between  this  country  and  Cuba.  He 
says  himself  that  he  never  made  a  voyage  far- 
ther away  from  home  than  the  West  Indies. 
He  knows  every  inch  of  the  coast  like  a  book." 

"  Then  wdiat  does  he  want  of  you  ? "  inquired 
Mrs.  Gray,  with  a  look  of  surprise.  "  Why 
can  he  not  permit  you  to  stay  at  home  in 
peace,  as  he  knows  I  want  you  to  do  ?  Do  you 
still  think  he  wants  to  test  your  loyalty  to  the 
South?" 

"That's  just  what  he  is  uj^  to,"  replied 
Marcy.  "He  came  here  in  the  hojie  that  I 
would  refuse  his  offer,  so  that  he  would  have 
an  excuse  for  getting  me  into  trouble," 

Yes,  that  was  one  object  Captain  Beardsley 
had  in  view  when  he  proposed  to  make  Marcy 
Gray  pilot  of  the  privateer,  but  there  w^as  an- 
other behind  it,  and  one  that  was  much  nearer 
to  the  smuggler  s  heart.  As  Marcy  had  told 
his  friend  Wat  Gifford,  on  the  day  the  two 
held  that  confidential  conversation  in  front 
of  the  Nashville  post-office,  Beardsley  wanted 
to  marry  Mrs.   Gray's   plantation  ;  and  when 


MARCY   HAS   A   VISITOR.  13 

lie  found  that  he  must  give  up  all  hope  in 
that  direction,  like  the  poor  apology  for  a 
man  that  he  was,  he  hit  ui3on  a  plan  for 
taking  vengeance  ux)on  Marcy's  mother.  If 
she  proved,  when  the  test  was  applied,  to  be 
friendly  to  the  South  and  its  cause,  he  would 
not  dare  lift  a  finger  against  her  or  her 
property,  for  he  knew  that  if  he  did  his 
neighbors  would  quickly  interest  themselves 
in  the  matter  ;  but  if  she  would  only  refuse 
to  iDermit  Marcy  to  ship  on  board  the  pri- 
vateer, then  he  Avould  have  a  clear  field  for 
his  operations.  He  could  accuse  Marcy's 
mother  of  being  a  Yankee  sympathizer,  and 
that  Avould  turn  the  whole  settlement  against 
her  at  once,  because  she  was  already  sus- 
]Dected  of  Union  sentiments,  and  some  of  her 
nearest  neighbors  were  so  certain  that  she 
was  loyal  to  the  old  flag  and  opposed  to 
secession,  that  they  thought  it  their  duty  to 
cease  visiting  her.  It  would  be  no  trouble 
at  all,  Beardsley  thought,  to  arouse  public 
feeling  against  her;  but  unfortunately  for 
the  success  of  his  plans,  Mrs.  Gray  did  not 
refuse  her  consent ;   the  boy  took  the  posi- 


14  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNEK. 


tion  offered  liim  on  the  Osprey^  made  one 
voyage  at  sea,  and  did  liis  duty  as  faithfully 
as  any  other  member  of  the  crew. 

*'I  know  Beardsley  wanted  to  find  out 
where  I  stood,"  rejjeated  Marcy.  "He  ex- 
pected and  hoped  that  I  would  refuse  to  ac- 
cept his  proposition  so  that  he  would  have 
an  excuse  for  persecuting  us ;  but  being  dis- 
apjDointed  there,  he  intends  to  work  in  an- 
other direction.  He  means  to  make  trouble 
on  account  of  the  money  you  have  in  the 
cellar." 

"  But  what  business — w^hat  right  has  he  with 
it  ? "  said  Mrs.  Gray  indignantl  y .     '  'It' s  ours. ' ' 

"I  know  it,  and  we're  going  to  keep  it; 
but  if  Beardsley  can  make  sure  that  you 
went  to  Richmond,  Wilmington,  and  New- 
bern  for  money — and  I  think  you  will  find 
that  he  looks  to  Hanson,  the  overseer,  to 
furnish  him  v/ith  the  i)roof,  and  bring  a 
gang  of  longshoremen  up  here  from  PI3'- 
moutli  some  dark  night " 

"Oh,  Marcy!"  cried  Mrs.  Gray,  starting 
from  her  chair  and  clasping  her  hands  in 
alarm,  "don't  speak  of  it!" 


MARCY   HAS   A   VISITOR.  15 

^'I  wish  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart 
that  I  need  not  have  told  you  of  it,"  said 
the  boy,  getting  upon  his  feet  and  pacing 
the  floor  with  restless,  angry  strides.  "But 
Wat  Gifford  believes  that  something  of  the 
sort  is  going  to  haj^pen,  and  so  do  I.  Wat 
didn't  say  so,  but  I  am  sure  that  is  what 
he  would  have  told  me  if  he  had  found  me 
at  home  wdien  he  came  here.  You  knew 
there  was  danger  in  every  one  of  those  gold 
pieces  you  brought  home  with  you  ;  else 
why  did  you  take  so  much  pains  to  put 
them  w^here  you  thought  no  one  would  be 
likely  to  find   them  ?  " 

"It  is  true  I  did  know  it,  and  was  afraid 
that  if  the  news  got  abroad  in  the  set- 
tlement, some  of  our  poor  neighbors  might 
be  tempted  to  commit  crime,"  answered  Mrs. 
Gray.  "  We  never  had  so  large  an  amount 
of  money  in  the  house  before,  and  its  pres- 
ence troubles  me  greatly ;  but  I  never 
dreamed  that  we  had  anything  to  fear  from 
an  organized  band  of  freebooters." 

"  And  the  fear  of  what  Beardsley  will  do, 
if  he  finds  out  that    the    money  is  really  in 


16  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

tlie  bouse,  is  what  troubles  me,"  said  the 
young  pilot  dolefully.  ^'That  man  is  capa- 
ble of  any  desperate  deed  when  he  thinks 
he  has  the  power  on  his  side.  I  know  joii 
never  thought  of  such  a  thing  at  the  time, 
but  your  trips  about  the  country,  which 
Wat  Gifford  sn,js  could  not  hare  been  made 
without  an  object  of  some  sort,  have  excited  a 
good  deal  of  talk  among  the  neighbors.  Cap- 
tain Beardsley  i^osted  Hanson,  and  Hanson,  so 
Wat  told  me,  is  more  to  be  feared  than  any 
one  else,  for  he  is  right  liore  on  the  place. 
These  secret  enemies  will  drive  us  both  crazj^" 

"We'll  not  give  them  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  they  can  trouble  us  in  the 
least,"  replied  his  mother,  with  dignity. 
"  Now  we  will  dismiss  them  entirely  from  our 
minds,  while  you  tell  me  all  the  interesting 
things  that  happened  during  your  cruise." 

"There  isn't  a  thing  to  tell,"  was  Marc y's 
answer.  "We  sighted  the  Ilollins  inside  Dia- 
mond Shoals,  threw  a  couple  of  shrapnel  at 
her  and  she  came  to  ;  that's  all  there  was  of  it. 
Her  skipper  was  a  sailorman  all  over,  and 
plucky,  too  ;  and  if  he  had  had  anything  to 


MAECY  HAS   A  VISITOK.  17 

fight  with,  he  would  have  made  things  lively 
for  us.  I  never  before  felt  so  sorry  for  any- 
body as  I  did  for  him  ;  but  of  course  I  didn't 
have  a  chance  to  tell  him  so.  I  may  some  day 
meet  him  under  different  circumstances." 

When  the  boy  said  this  he  did  not  really 
believe  that  such  a  thing  ever  could  occur,  but 
nevertheless  it  did.  Strange  things  happen  in 
this  world  sometimes,  and  in  process  of  time  it 
came  about  that  the  young  pilot  again  stood 
face  to  face  with  the  master  of  the  Mary  Hol- 
lins^  no  longer  p  prisoner  pleading  with  Cap- 
tain Beardsley  that  his  men  might  not  be 
ironed  like  felons,  but  standing  free  on  the 
quarter-deck  of  an  armed  vessel,  with  a  hun- 
dred blue-jackets  ready  to  do  his  bidding,  and 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  waving  proudly  and  tri- 
umphantly above  him.  And  Beardsley — he 
was  there,  too  ;  and  perhaps  we  shall  see  what 
sort  of  heart  he  kept  up  when  he  found  him- 
self thrust  into  the  "  brig  "  so  quickly  that  he 
did  not  have  time  to  tell  what  his  name  was. 

"  How  long  does  your  leave  of  absence  ex- 
tend ? "  inquired  Mrs.  Gray,  after  a  little 
pause. 


18  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


Until  I  am  ordered  to  report,"  replied 
Marcy,  with  a  laugh.  ''Perhaps  the  captain 
didn't  know  I  wrote  it  out  that  way,  but  that 
isn't  my  fault.  It  was  his  business  to  read  the 
paper  before  signing  it.  If  he  wants  me  he 
will  have  to  send  for  me.  You  ought  to  have 
heard  that  Newbern  mob  whoop  and  yell  when 
the  crew  of  the  Hollins  were  marched  off  to 
jail.  They  called  them  'Abolitionists'  and 
'nigger-lovers'  ;  but  the  prisoners  kept  their 
eyes  straight  to  the  front,  and  marched  on  as 
though  they  didn't  hear  a  word  of  it.  It  was 
a  shame  to  treat  brave  men  that  way." 

Just  as  the  young  pilot  ceased  speaking 
there  was  a  gentle  knock  at  the  door ;  and  so 
sudden  and  unexpected  was  it,  that  it  brought 
both  him  and  his  mother  to  their  feet  in  a 
twinkling.  How  long  had  the  person  who 
gave  that  knock  been  within  reach  of  the  door, 
was  the  first  thought  that  arose  in  the  mind  of 
each.  Had  some  one  crept  along  the  hall  and 
listened  at  the  key-hole  in  the  hope  of  hearing 
some  of  tlieir  conversation  ? 

"If  that  is  the  case,"  Marcy  whispered  to 
his  mother,  "she  has  had  her  trouble  for  her 


MARCY   nAS   A   VISITOR.  19 

pains.  We  haven't  said  a  dozen  words  that 
could  have  been  heard  the  length  of  this  room. 
'Come  in!'  " 

The  door  opened  to  admit  one  of  the  numer- 
ous female  house  servants,  who  announced 
that  there  was  a  gentleman  on  the  gallery  who 
had  called  to  see  Mrs.  Gray  on  very  important 
private  and  i)articular  business. 

*'  She  looks  innocent  enough,"  thought 
Marcy,  who  could  not  bring  himself  to  believe, 
as  his  mother  evidently  did,  that  some  of  the 
domestics  were  watching  their  movements  and 
reporting  the  result  of  their  observations  to 
the  overseer.  "I  don't  think  she  heard  a 
word,  and  she  certainly  could  not  have  seen 
anything."  And  then,  finding  that  his  mother 
was  looking  at  him  as  if  she  meant  him  to 
understand  that  she  knew  what  the  visitor's 
business  was,  and  desired  him  to  take  it  off 
her  hands,  he  said,  aloud  :  "  Who  is  the  gen- 
tleman, and  do  you  know  what  he's  got  to  say 
that  is  so  very  important  and  particular  ?" 
^  '•  I  don't  know,  sah,  what  he  want  to  sjDeak 
about,"  answered  the  girl,  ''but  de  man  is 
Mr.  Kelsey." 


20  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

Marcy  could  hardly  keep  back  an  exclama- 
tion of  disgust,  and  in  an  instant  lie  was  on 
his  guard.  The  man's  name  and  the  message 
he  had  sent  in  warned  him  to  be  on  the  lookout 
for  treachery.  Kelsey  was  one  of  Beardsley's 
''renters" — that  is  to  say,  he  hired  from  the 
captain  a  few  acres  of  ground,  on  which  he 
managed  to  raise  enough  corn  and  potatoes  to 
keep  his  family  from  absolute  want,  and  a  little 
log  cabin  in  which  he  found  shelter  when  he 
was  not  absent  on  his  hunting  and  thieving 
expeditions.  Marcy  had  not  seen  him  since 
his  return  from  Barrington,  but  he  had  heard 
of  him  as  a  red-hot  Confederate  who  went 
about  declaring  that  hanging  was  too  good  for 
Yankees  and  their  sympathizers.  When  Marcy 
heard  of  this,  he  told  himcelf  that  the  man  was 
another  Bud  Goble,  who,  when  the  pinch  came, 
would  take  to  the  woods  and  stay  there  as 
long  as  danger  threatened. 

'Til  be  with  him  directly,"  he  said,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  the  girl,  who  went  out, 
closing'the  door  behind  her. 

"  What  in  the  name  of  wonder  can  that 
worthless  man   want  with  meV^     whispered 


MARCY   HAS   A   VISITOR.  21 

Mrs.  Gray,  when  slie  tlioiiglit  she  had  given 
the  domestic  time  to  get  out  of  hearing.  "  He 
has  never  been  in  this  house  before  except  to 
beg." 

*'  And  he  wouldn't  be  here  now  if  he  hadn't 
been  sent,"  replied  the  boy. 

"Oh,  Marcy  !  "  said  his  mother. 

"That  is  just  what  I  mean.  It  isn't  old 
clothes  or  grub  that  he  is  after  this  time." 

"But  Beardsley  couldn  t  have  put  him  up  to 
anything.     He  is  in  Newbern." 

"  No  odds.  He  left  plenty  of  friends  behind 
to  do  his  dirty  work,  and  this  fellow,  Kelsey, 
is  one  of  them.  It  will  take  a  sharper  man 
than  he  is  to  pull  the  wool  over  my  eyes." 

"Don't  be  over-confident,  my  son.  He  is 
not  too  insignificant; — no  one  is  too  insignifi- 
cant these  times  to  do  us  some  terrible  injury. 
Be  careful  how  you  treat  him  and  what  you 
say  to  him.  It  might  be  dangerous  to  make 
him  angry,  for  he  has  powerful  friends  behind 
him.  Don' t  be  gone  long,  for  I  shall  be  uneasy 
until  you  return." 

"I'll  be  right  back,"  promised  Marcy  ;  and, 
giving  his  mother  a  reassuring  kiss,  he  left  the 


22  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

room  and  went  out  on  tlie  porch  to  see  what 
Beardsley's  friend  and  spy  wanted. 

The  latter  looked  just  as  he  did  the  last  time 
Marcy  saw  him — too  lazy  to  take  a  long  breath. 
He  was  tall  and  lank,  his  hair  fell  down  upon 
his  shoulders,  his  whiskers  were  as  tangled 
and  matted  as  a  little  brush  heap — in  short,  he 
was  as  fine  a  specimen  of  a  X30or  white  as  one 
could  find  anywhere  in  the  seceded  States. 
He  looked  stupid  as  well  as  shiftless,  but  the 
young  x)ilot  knew  he  wasn't.  He  was  as  sly  as 
a  fox  and  as  cunning  as  w^ell,  and  Marcy  con- 
fessed to  himself  that  he  stood  more  in  fear  of 
him  than  he  did  of  Captain  Beardsley.  When 
the  man  heard  Marcy' s  step  upon  the  porch, 
he  tried  to  assume  the  servile  air  which  was 
characteristic  of  poor  Southern  whites  before 
the  war  ;  but  he  did  not  succeed  very  well. 
His  manner  seemed  to  say  that  he  knew  he  was 
dealing  with  one  he  could  crush  whenever  he 
felt  like  it,  and  of  wiiom  he  need  not  stand  in 
fear ;  and  Marcy  was  quick  to  notice  it. 

"  Sarvent,  sah,"  said  Kelsey,  rising  to  his 
feet  and  taking  off  his  tattered  hat,  which, 
however,    he  almost  instantly  replaced.     "  I 


MARCY    HAS   A   VISITOR.  23 

lieared  that  you  had  got  back  again  from  sea, 
an'  that  you  had  whopped  the  Yankees  first 
time  try  in',  same  as  our  fellers  done  down  to 
Charleston." 

*' Yes,  sir,"  rex)lied  Marcy,  seating  himself, 
and  depositing  his  feet  on  the  railing,  as  if  to 
indicate  that  he  was  quite  at  the  service  of  his 
friend  Kelsey  as  long  as  the  latter  wanted  to 
talk  to  him.  "We  whipped  them,  and  we 
could  do  the  same  thing  again. ' '  [ "  And  that' s 
nothing  but  'the  truth,"  he  added,  to  himself. 
"When  an  armed  vessel  meets  one  that's  not 
armed,  the  helpless  one  is  bound  to  go  under 
every  time."] 

It  is  hard  to  tell  just  what  Kelsey  expected 
the  boy  to  say  in  response  to  his  greeting,  but 
in  spite  of  his  usual  self-control  his  face 
showed  that  he  had  not  looked  for  any  such 
answ^er  as  this.  Marcy  spoke  and  acted  as  if 
he  were  delighted  with  the  success  that  had 
attended  the  Osprey^  s  first  cruise  at  sea,  and 
proud  of  being  able  to  say  that  he  w^as  one  of 
her  crew. 

"You  sent  in  word  that  you  desired  to  see 
my  mother  on  very  particular  business,"  con- 


24  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

tinned  Marcy.  "She  doesn't  feel  like  seeing 
anybody  to-day — npset  by  the  war  news,  you 
know — and  I  am  here  to  speak  for  her.  It's 
nothing  bad,  I  hope  ?  " 

Kelsey  straightened  up  on  his  seat  and 
assumed  a  business  air,  as  if  these  words  had 
suggested  an  idea  to  him. 

''  Yes,  it's  kinder  bad,"  said  he.  '^  We  uns 
know  that  you  are  true  blue,  fur  if  you  wasn't 
you  wouldn't  be  on  that  privateer  ;  an'  if  your 
maw  wasn't  true  blue,  she  wouldn't  a  let  you 
go." 

["  That  sounds  exactly  like  Beardsley,"  said 
Marcy,  to  himself.]  "  Well,  what  of  it  ? 
Didn'  t  I  do  my  duty  faithfully  ? " 

'*  I  ain't  sayin'  nothing  agin  that,"  replied 
the  man  hastily.  ' '  But — you'  re  fur  Jeff  Davis, 
ain't  you  ? " 

Instead  of  answering  in  words,  Marcy  pulled 
down  the  corner  of  his  right  eye  and  looked  at 
Kelsey  as  if  to  ask  him  if  he  saw  anything 
green  in  it. 

"  What  do  ye  mean  by  them  movements  ?" 
demanded  the  visitor. 

"  I  mean  that  I  am  not  going  to  talk  politics 


MARCY   HAS    A   VISITOR.  25 

with  you,"  was  the  reply.  "This  settlement 
is  full  of  traitors,  and  Tm  going  to  hold  my 
tongue  unless  I  know  who  I  am  talking  to.  If 
I  do  that,  I  shan't  get  into  trouble  by  speaking 
too  freely  in  the  hearing  of  a  Yankee  spy." 

"But  look  a-here.  Mister  Marcy,"  protested 
Kelsey. 

"  If  you  came  to  pry  into  our  private  affairs, 
you  might  as  well  jum]3  on  your  mule  and  go 
home,  for  you'll  not  get  a  word  from  me.  I 
ought  to  put  the  dogs  on  you,  for  if  all  I  hear 
is  true  you're  the  worst  kind  of  a  traitor." 
["And  so  you  are,"  thought  Marcy,  closely 
watching  the  effect  of  his  words,  although  he 
did  not  seem  to  be  doing  so  ;  "  you're  a  traitor 
to  the  old  flag."] 

The  visitor  was  astonished  beyond  measure, 
and  it  was  fully  a  minute  before  he  could  col- 
lect his  wits  sufficiently  to  frame  a  reply. 


CHAPTER  11. 

HIDING  THE  FLAGS. 

"  T  THINK  I  have  taken  the  right  course," 
-L  soliloquized  the  young  iDilot,  who  men- 
tally congratulated  himself  on  the  ease  with 
which  he  had  ''got  to  windward"  of  this 
sneaking  spy.  "  If  I  fight  him  with  his  own 
weapons  I  shall  probably  get  more  out  of  him 
than  I  could  in  any  other  way." 

''You  beared  that  I  was  a  traitor?"  ex- 
claimed Kelsey,  as  soon  as  he  could  speak. 
"  Mister  Marcy,  the  man  who  told  you  that 
told  you  a  plumb  lie,  kase  I  ain't.  I  whooped 
her  up  fur  ole  Car' liny  when  she  went  out,  I 
done  the  same  when  our  gov'ner  grabbed  the 
forts  along  the  coast,  an'  I  yelled  fit  to  split 
when  our  folks  licked  'em  at  Charleston.  Any 
man  in  the  settlement  or  in  Nashville  will  tell 
ye  that  them  words  of  mine  is  nothing  but  the 
gospel  truth." 

Marcy  knew  well  enough  that  his  visitor's 

26 


HIDING  THE   FLAGS.  27 

words  were  true,  but  lie  shook  his  head  in  a 
doubting  way,  as  he  replied  : 

"That  may  all  be;  but  /  didn't  hear  you 
whoop  and  yell,  and  you  must  not  expect  me 
to  take  your  word  for  it.  You  must  bring 
some  proof  before  I  will  talk  to  you." 

""Why,  how  in  sense  could  ye  hear  me 
whoop  an'  yell,  seein'  that  you  was  away  to 
school  in  the  first  place,  an'  off  on  the  ocean 
with  Beardsley  in  the  next  ? ' '  exclaimed  Kel- 
sey.  "Ask  Dillon,  an'  Colonel  Shelby,  an' 
the  postmaster,  an'  see  if  they  don't  say  it's 
the  truth." 

"You  have  mentioned  the  names  of  some 
of  our  most  respected  citizens,"  said  Marcy 
slowly,  as  if  he  were  still  reluctant  to  be  con- 
vinced of  the  man's  sincerity.  "  And  if  they, 
or  any  of  them,  sent  you  up  here  to  talk 
to  my  mother — why,  then,  I  shall  hav-e  to  lis- 
ten to  you  ;  but  mind  you,  if  you  are  trying  to 
play  a  game  on  me " 

"Mister  Marcy,"  said  Kelsey  solemnly,  "I 
ain't  tryin'  to  come  no  game.  Them  men 
done  it  sure's  you're  born." 

"Did  what?" 


28  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

"  Sent  me  up  here  this  mawniii'." 

"  That's  one  point  gained,  but  won't  mother 
be  frightened  when  she  hears  of  it  ?"  thought 
Marcy,  leaning  his  elbows  on  his  knees  and 
covering  his  face  with  his  hands  so  that  his 
visitor  could  not  see  it.  "  Some  of  the  best 
men  in  the  country  have  so  far  forgotten  their 
manhood,  and  the  friendship  they  once  had 
for  our  family,  that  they  can  send  this  sneak- 
ing fellow  here  to  worm  something  out  of  us." 

"I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it,"  he  cried, 
jumping  to  his  feet  and  confronting  his  visi- 
tor. 

''  Ye — ye  don't  believe  it  ?"  faltered  Kelsey, 
springing  up  in  his  turn.  "Well,  I — I — look 
a-here,  Mister  Marcy,  mebbe  this  is  something 
else  vou  don't  believe.  Them  men  whose 
names  I  jest  give  you,  say  that  you  an'  your 
maw  an'  all  the  rest  of  the  Gray  family  is 
Union.     What  do  ye  say  to  tliatf  " 

''I  say  that  they  had  better  attend  to  their 
own  business  and  let  me  attend  to  mine," 
answered  Marcy.  "Are  Colonel  Shelby  and 
the  rest  of  them  for  the  Union  ? " 

"  Not  much  ;  an'  nuther  be  I." 


HIDING   THE   FLAGS.  29 


Are  you  in  favor  of  secession  ?" 
I  reckon."  rej)lied  Kelsey  earnestly  ;  and 
Marcy  knew  all  the  while  that  he  could  not 
have  told  what  the  word  secession  meant. 

"  Then  why  don't  you  prove  it — you  and 
Colonel  Shelby,  and  the  rest  of  the  neighbors 
who  are  saying  things  behind  my  back  that 
they  don't  care  to  say  to  my  face?  Why 
don't  you  i)rove  your  loyalty  to  the  South  by 
shouldering  a  musket  and  going  into  the 
army?" 

''  Why,  we  uns  has  got  famblies  to  look  out 
fur,"  exclaimed  the  visitor,  who  had  never 
had  this  matter  brought  squarely  home  to  him 
before. 

^'That  makes  no  difference,"  answered  the 
boy,  who  wondered  if  Kelsey's  family  would 
fare  any  w^orse  while  he  was  in  the  army  than 
they  did  now,  wdiile  he  was  out  of  it.  "Every 
man  in  this  country  must  show  his  good  will 
in  one  way  or  another.  And  there's  that  loud- 
mouthed fellow  Allison,  who  went  out  of  his 
way  to  insult  me  in  the  post-office  just  before 
I  went  to  sea.  Nashville  is  full  of  such  brag- 
garts as  he  is.     When  they  can' t  find  anything 


30  MARCy,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

else  to  talk  about  they  talk  about  me ;  and 
I  have  smelt  powder  while  they  haven't." 
[''No  odds  if  it  was  our  own  powder  and  the 
wind  blew  the  smoke  into  my  face,"  he  said  to 
himself.] 

By  this  time  Marcy  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  that  he  had  taken  the  wind  completely 
out  of  Kelsey's  sails,  and  that  the  man  who 
had  come  there  to  trouble  him  was  troubled 
himself.  He  even  began  to  fear  that  he  had 
gone  too  far,  and  that  if  he  did  not  change  his 
tactics  the  visitor  would  go  away  without  giv- 
ing a  hint  of  the  errand  that  had  brought  him 
to  the  house ;  for  Kelsey  picked  up  the  hat 
he  had  placed  upon  the  floor  beside  his 
chair,  put  it  on  his  head  and  leaned  forward 
with  his  hands  on  his  knees,  as  if  he  were 
about  to  get  upon  his  feet.  That  wouldn'  t  do 
at  all.  There  was  something  in  the  wind — 
something  that  Captain  Beardsley,  aided  by 
Colonel  Shelby  and  others,  had  studied  up  on 
purpose  to  get  Marcy  into  a  scrape  of  some 
kind,  and  Marcy  was  very  anxious  to  know 
what  it  was. 

"You    hinted    a    while    ago    that    Colonel 


HIDING   THE   FLAGS.  31 

Shelby  had  sent  you  here  to  tell  me  some  bad 
news,"  said  the  young  pilot,  in  a  much  pleas- 
anter  tone  of  voice  than  he  had  thus  far  used 
in  addressing  his  visitor.  "Are  you  ready 
now  to  obey  orders  and  tell  me  what  it  is?  " 

"Well,  I  dunno.  I  reckon  mebbe  I'd  best 
ride  down  an'  see  the  colonel  first,"  replied 
the  man.  But  his  actions  said  i^lainly  that  he 
did  know,  and  that  he  had  no  intention  of  fac- 
ing his  employer  again  until  he  could  tell  him 
that  his  instructions  had  been  carried  out. 

"  Of  course,  you  must  do  as  you  think  best 
about  that ;  but  if  it  is  anything  that  concerns 
my  mother  or  myself '' 

"I  should  say  so,"  exclaimed  Kelsey.  "I 
don't  reckon  it'll  do  any  harm  to  tell  you — but 
ain't  there  anybody  to  listen?  It's  very  im- 
portant an' private." 

"I  think  you  may  speak  with  perfect  freedom ; 

but  in  order  to  make  sure  of  it "     Marcy 

finished  the  sentence  by  getting  up  and  closing 
both  the  doors  that  opened  upon  the  veranda. 
"  Now  we're  safe,"  said  he  ;  whereupon  Kelsey 
revealed  the  whole  plot  in  less  than  a  score  of 
words. 


32  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

*'Mebbe  you  don't  know  it,"  said  he,  in  a 
whisper  which  was  so  loud  and  piercing  that 
it  could  have  been  heard  by  an  eavesdropper 
(if  there  had  been  one)  at  least  fifty  feet  av;ay, 
"  but  you  are  harboring  a  traitor  right  here  on 
the  place." 

*^  Who  is  it?" 

*'  Your  mean  sneak  of  an  overseer." 

It  was  now  Marcy's  turn  to  be  astonished. 
He  knew  that  there  was  not  a  word  of  truth  in 
what  the  man  said,  and  that  if  the  overseer 
really  was  a  Union  man  the  planters  round 
about  would  have  sent  a  x)erson  of  more  influ- 
ence and  better  social  standing  than  Kelsey  to 
tell  him  of  it ;  but  after  all  the  plot  was  not  as 
simple  as  it  looked  at  first  glance. 

'*  Where's  your  proof  ?"  was  the  first  ques- 
tion he  asked. 

'*  Well,  Hanson  has  been  talkin'  a  heap  to 
them  he  thought  to  be  Union,  but  it  turned  out 
that  they  wasn'  t.  They  was  true  to  the  flag  of 
the  'Federacv." 

''What  do  Colonel  Shelby  and  the  rest  want 
me  to  do?"  inquired  Marcy,  catching  at  an 
idea  that  just  then  flashed  through  his  mind. 


HIDING   THE   FLAGS.  33 

''  If  they  will  write  me  a  note  stating  the  facts 
of  the  case  and  asking  me  to  discharge  Han- 
son, I  will  attend  to  it  before  tlie  sun  goes 
down." 

"Well,  you  see  they  don't  keer  to  take  a 
hand  in  the  furse  at  all,  seein'  that  there's  so 
many  Union  folks  in  the  settlement,"  said 
Kelsey.  "They've  got  nice  houses  an'  nigger 
quarters,  an'  they  don't  Avant  'em  burned 
up." 

"  But  they  are  willing  that  I  should  get  into 
trouble  by  discharging  Hanson,  and  x)ut  myself 
in  the  w^ay  of  having  my  house  and  quarters 
destroj^ed,  are  they?"  exclaimed  the  boy,  his 
face  growing  red  with  indignation,  although, 
as  he  afterward  told  his  mother,  there  wasn't 
really  anything  to  arouse  his  indignation. 
"You  may  tell  those  gentlemen  that  if  they 
want  the  overseer  run  off  the  plantation,  they 
can  come  here  and  do  it.  If  the  Union  men 
are  as  vindictive  as  Colonel  Shelby  seems  to 
think  they  are,  I  don't  care  to  get  them  down 
on  me." 

"  Bat  the  Union  folks  won't  i:>ester  you 
uns,"  said  Kelsey,  speaking  before  he  thought. 

3 


34  MAKCy,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 


a 


All!     Why  won't  tliey?" 

''Kase — kase  tliey  tliiuk  you're  one  of 
'em." 

' '  I  don' t  see  lio w  they  can  think  so  when 
they  know  that  I  belong  to  a  Confederate  pri- 
vateer." 

"  Them  men,  wdiose  names  I  give  ye  a  min- 
ute ago,  thought  that  mebbe  you'd  be  willing 
to  turn  Hanson  loose  when  you  heared  how  he 
had  been  swingin'  his  tongue  about  that  there 
money." 

Kelsey  had  come  to  the  i^oint  at  last.  He 
looked  hard  at  Marcy  to  see  what  effect  the 
words  would  have  upon  him,  and  Marcy  re- 
turned his  gaze  with  an  impassive  countenance, 
although  he  felt  his  heart  sinking  within  him. 

*'  What  money  ? "  he  demanded,  in  so  steady 
a  voice  that  the  visitor  was  fairl}^  staggered. 
The  latter  believed  that  there  was  rich  booty 
hidden  somewdiere  about  that  old  house,  and 
he  hoped  in  time  to  have  the  handling  of  some 
of  it. 

''  I  mean  the  money  your  maw  got  when  she 
went  to  Richmon'  an'  around,"  replied  the 
man,  who,  in  coon  hunters'  parlance,  began  to 


HIDING   THE   FLAGS.  35 

wonder  if  lie  wasn't  ''barking  up  the  wrong 
tree." 

"  Can  you  prove  that  she  brought  any  money 
back  with  her  1 ' ' 

"No,  I  can't,"  answered  Kelsey,  in  a  tone 
which  said  as  plainly  as  words  that  he  wished 
he  could.  "  I — me — I  mean  that  the  neighbors 
suspicion  it." 

*'  Oh,  that's  it.  Let  those  officious  neighbors 
keep  on  talking ;  and  when  they  have  talked 
themselves  blind,  you  may  tell  them,  for  me, 
that  what  money  we  have  is  safe,"  said  Marcy, 
with  a  good  deal  of  emxDliasis  on  the  adjective. 
"If  you  want  to  see  what  mother  brought  back 
from  the  city,  go  and  look  at  the  servants. 
Every  one  of  them  is  dressed  in  a  new  suit. 
Now  go  on  and  tell  me  the  bad  news.  I'm  get- 
ting impatient  to  hear  it." 

"  Heavings  an'  'arth  !  Haven't  I  told  it  to 
ye  already?"  Kelsey  almost  shouted.  "I 
think  it  is  bad  enough  when  you  an'  your 
maw  are  keepin',  right  here  on  the  plantation, 
a  man  who  is  all  the  time  waitin'  an'  watchin' 
fur  a  chance  to  do  harm  to  both  of  ye.  If  you 
don't  think  so,  all   right.     I  was  a  fule  fur 


36  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKABE-RUNXER. 

comin'  here,  an'  I  reckon  I'd  bestbelnmberin'. 
If  anytliing  liaj)i3ens  to  ye,  bear  in  mind  that 
I  give  ye  fair  warnin'." 

"I  will,"  answered  Marcv.  "And  in  the 
mean  time  do  you  bear  in  mind  that  I  am  ready 
to  discharge  Hanson  at  any  time  Colonel  Shelby 
proves  to  my  satisfaction  that  he  is  a  danger- 
ous man  to  have  around  ;  but  I  shall  make  no 
move  unless  the  colonel  says  so,  for  I  don't 
want  to  get  into  trouble  with  my  neighbors." 
["I  wonder  if  I  have  done  the  right  thing," 
thought  Marcy,  as  the  visitor  mounted  his 
mule  and  rode  out  of  the  yard.  "The  next 
plotter  I  hear  from  will  be  Hanson  himself."] 

The  boy  remained  motionless  in  his  chair 
until  Kelsey  disappeared  behind  the  trees  that 
bordered  the  road,  and  then  got  up  and  walked 
into  the  sitting-room,  Avhere  he  found  his 
mother  pacing  the  floor.  Her  anxiety  and 
her  impatience  to  learn  what  it  Avas  that 
brought  Kelsey  to  the  house  were  so  over- 
powering that  she  could  not  sit  still. 

"Another  plot  to  ruin  us,"  whispered  the 
boy,  as  he  entered  the  room  and  closed  the 
door  behind  him. 


IIIDIXG   THE   FLAGS.  37 

"Oh,  Marcy,  it  is  just  what  I  was  afraid  of," 
replied  Mrs.  Gray.  "  Who  is  at  the  bottom  of 
it  this  time?" 

"The  same  old  rascal,  Lon  Beardsley  ;  but 
he's  got  backing  I  don't  like.  Tliere's  Colonel 
Shelby  for  one,  the  postmaster  for  another,  and 
Major  Dillon  for  a  third." 

"The  most  influential  men  in  the  neighbor- 
hood," gasped  Mrs.  Gray,  sinking  into  the 
nearest  chair.     "And  the  best." 

"  They  used  to  be  the  best,  but  they  are  any- 
thing but  that  now.  When  men  will  stoop  as 
low  as  they  have,  they  are  mean  enough  for 
anything.  I  suppose  you  ought  to  hear  what 
that  fellow  said  to  me,  but  I  don  t  know  how  I 
can  tell  it  to  you." 

"  Go  on,"  said  his  mother,  trying  to  bear  up 
bravely.     "  I  must  hear  every  word." 

Marcy  knew  that  it  was  right  and  necessary 
that  his  mother  should  be  kept  fully  informed 
regarding  the  plots  that  were  laid  against  them, 
and  that  she  should  know  what  the  x)lanters 
were  thinking  and  saying  about  her  ;  for  if  she 
were  kept  in  ignorance,  she  would  be  at  a  loss 
how  to  act  and  speak  in  a  sudden  emergency. 


38  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

She  might  be  surprised  into  saying  something 
in  the  presence  of  a  secret  enemy  that  woukl 
be  utterly  ruinous.  So  he  drew  a  chair  to  her 
side  and  told  her  everything  that  had  j^assed 
between  Kelsey  and  himself.  He  did  not  try  to 
smooth  it  over,  but  repeated  the  conversation 
word  for  word  ;  and  when  he  came  to  the  end, 
his  mother  was  as  much  in  the  dark  as  Marcy 
was  himself.  She  said  she  couldn't  under- 
stand it. 

"  There  are  but  two  things  about  it  that  are 
plain  to  me,"  answered  Marcy,  "perhaps 
three.  One  is  that  the  house  is  watched  by 
somebody,  and  that  the  neighbors  knew  I  was 
at  home  almost  as  soon  as  you  knew  it  yourself. 
Another  is  that  the  suspicions  aroused  in  the 
minds  of  some  of  our  watchful  neighbors  are  so 
strong  that  they  amount  to  positive  conviction. 
They  are  as  certain  that  there  is  money  in  this 
house  as  they  would  be  if  they  had  caught  you 
in  the  act  of  hiding  it." 

"Doesn't  that  proA^e  that  the  overseer  is  not 
the  only  spy  there  is  on  the  place  1 "  said  Mrs. 
Gray.     "  And  I  was  so  careful." 

"  I  never  will  believe  that  anybody  watched 


HIDING   THE   FLAGS.  39 

yon  at  niglit,"  said  Marcy  quickly.  ^'Tlie 
neighbors  saw  you  when  you  went  away  and 
came  back." 

"  But  I  brought  goods  with  me  on  purx)ose  to 
allay  their  suspicions." 

"I  am  really  afraid  you  didn't  succeed. 
The  other  thing  I  know  is,  that  you  need  not 
think  yourself  safe  out  of  Caj^tain  Beardsley's 
reach  even  when  he  is  at  sea.  As  I  said  before, 
he  has  friends  ashore  to  work  for  him  while  he 
is  absent." 

''  What  can  we  do  ?  What  do  you  advise  1 " 
asked  his  mother,  after  she  had  taken  time  to 
think  the  matter  over. 

'*  There  is  but  one  thing  we  can  do,  and  that 
is  to  wait  as  patiently  as  we  can  and  see  what 
is  going  to  happen  next.  This  last  plot  is  not 
fully  developed  yet,  and  until  it  is  we  must 
not  make  a  move  in  any  direction.  I  am  as  im- 
X^atient  as  you  are,  and  so  I  think  I  will  ride 
out  to  the  field  and  give  the  overseer  a  chance 
to  sav  a  word  if  he  feels  in  the  humor  for  it." 

"Be  very  cautious,  Marcj^,"  said  Mrs.  Gray. 

The  young  pilot  replied  that  sleeping  or 
waking  he  was  always  on  the  alert,  and  went 


40         MARCY,  tup:  blockade-runnek. 

out  to  tlie  little  log  stable,  Avliicli  did  duty  as 
a  barn,  to  saddle  liis  horse.  A  long  lane  led 
through  the  negro  quarter  to  the  field  in  which 
the  hands  were  23utting  in  the  time  in  clearing 
out  fence  corners  and  burning  brush,  while 
waiting  for  the  early  crops  to  get  high  enough 
for  hoeing.  The  overseer's  mule  was  hitched 
to  the  fence,  and  the  overseer  himself  sat  on  a 
convenient  stump,  w^atching  the  hands  at  their 
Avork,  and  whittling  the  little  switch  that  served 
him  for  a  riding- whip.  The  man  was  almost  a 
stranger  to  Marcy.  The  latter  had  seen  and 
spoken  to  him  a  few  times  since  his  return  from 
Barrington,  but  of  course  he  did  not  like  him, 
for  he  could  not  forget  that  his  mother  was 
afraid  of  him,  and  would  be  glad  to  see  him 
leave  the  place.  He  liked  him  still  less  two 
minutes  later,  for,  as  he  drew  rein  beside  the 
overseer's  perch,  threw  his  right  leg  over  the 
horn  of  his  saddle  and  nodded  to  the  man,  the 
latter  said,  first  looking  around  to  make  sure 
that  none  of  the  blacks  were  Avithin  hearing : 

"  I  was  sorry  to  see  that  man  ride  away  from 
the  big  house  a  while  ago." 

"  What  man  ?  "  inquired  Marcy.     He  looked 


HIDING  THE   FLAGS.  41 

over  liis  slioiilder  and  saw  tliat  tlie  front  of  tlie 
house  was  entirely  concealed  from  view,  and 
that  the  road  that  ran  before  it  "was  shut  out 
from  sight  by  the  trees  and  the  whitewashed 
negro  quarter.  It  followed  then,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  that  Hanson  could  not  have  seen  any- 
body ride  away  from  the  house.  He  was  deep 
enough  in  the  plot  to  know  that  if  mother  and 
son  had  not  had  a  visitor,  they  ought  to  have 
had  one. 

'*!  susi)icioned  it  was  that  shiftless,  do- 
nothing  chap,  Kelsey,"  replied  the  overseer. 
*'  Looked  sorter  like  his  mu-el.'* 

"Oh,  yes  ;  Kelsey  has  been  up  to  see  us," 
answered  Marcy.  And  then  he  tapped  his  boot 
with  his  whip  and  waited  to  see  what  was 
coming  next.  If  the  overseer  wanted  to  talk, 
he  might  talk  all  he  pleased  ;  but  Marcy  was 
resolved  that  he  would  not  help  him  along. 
Hanson  twisted  about  on  the  stump,  cleared  his 
throat  once  or  twice,  and,  seeing  that  the  boy 
was  not  disposed  to  break  the  silence,  said,  as 
if  he  were  almost  afraid  to  broach  the  sub- 
ject : 

"Have  much  of  anything  to  talk  about  ?" 


42  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

"He  talked  a  good  deal,  but  didn't  say 
much." 

"  Mention  my  name  1 " 

"Yes.  He  mentioned  yours  and  Shelby's 
and  Dillon's  and  the  postmaster's." 

"Say  anything  bad  about  us?"  continued 
the  overseer,  after  waiting  in  vain  for  the  boy 
to  go  on  and  repeat  the  conversation  he  had 
held  with  Kelsey. 

"Not  so  very  bad,"  answered  Marcy,  looking 
up  and  down  the  long  fence  to  see  how  the 
work  was  iDrogressing. 

"Looka-here,  Mister  Marcy,"  said  Hanson 
desperately.  "Kelsey  told  you  I  was  Union, 
didn't  he  ?    Come  now,  be  honest." 

"  If  by  being  honest  you  mean  being  truthful, 
I  want  to  tell  you  that  I  am  never  any  other 
way,"  said  the  boy  emphatically.  "What 
object  could  I  have  in  denying  it  1  I  don't 
care  a  cent  what  your  politics  are  so  long  as 
you  mind  your  own  business,  and  don' t  try  to 
cram  your  ideas  down  my  throat.  But  I'll 
not  allow  myself  to  be  led  into  a  discussion. 
Kelsey  did  say  that  you  are  Union ;  and 
if    you  are,   I  don't    see  why    you    stay    in 


u 


HIDING  THE   FLAGS.  43 

this    country.     You    can't    get  out    any  too 
quick." 

Are  you  going  to  discharge  me  ?" 
'No,  I  am  not  ;  and  I  sent  word  to  Shelby 
and  the  rest  that  if  they  want  you  run  off  the 
place,  they  can  come  up   here  and  do  it.     I 
shall  have  no  hand  in  it." 

Marcy  could  read  the  overseer's  face  a  great 
deal  better  than  the  overseer  could  read  Mar- 
cy's  ;  and  it  would  have  been  clear  to  a  third 
party  that  Hanson  was  disapxDointed,  and  that 
there  was  something  he  wanted  to  say  and  was 
afraid  to  speak  about.  That  was  the  money 
that  was  sui3posed  to  be  concealed  in  the  house. 

"Was  that  all  Kelsey  said  to  you?"  he 
asked,  at  length. 

"  Oh,  no.  He  rattled  on  about  various  things 
— spoke  of  the  ease  with  which  the  Osprey 
captured  that  Yankee  schooner,  and  let  fall  a 
word  or  two  about  the  battle  in  Cliarleston 
harbor." 

"  Is  that  all  he  said  to  you  ? " 

"I  believe  he  said  something  about  being  a 
good  Confederate,  and  I  asked  him  why  he 
didn't  prove  it  by  shouldering  a  musket.     I 


44  Mx\RCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

don't  go  about  boasting  of  tlie  great  tilings  I 
would  do  if  I  were  only  there.  There's  no  need 
of  it,  for  I  have  been  there."  ["But  it  was 
because  I  couldn't  help  myself,"  he  added 
mentally.] 

"  But  folks  say  you're  Union,  all  the  same," 
said  Hanson. 

' '  What  folks  1    Are  they  soldiers  ? ' ' 

"No.     Citizens." 

"Then  I  don't  care  that  what  they  say," 
replied  Mardy,  snapping  his  fingers  in  the  air. 
"When  they  put  uniforms  on  and  show  by 
their  actions  that  they  mean  business,  I  will 
talk  to  them,  and  not  before." 

Marcy  waited  patiently  for  the  overseer  to 
say  "money,"  and  the  latter  waited  impa- 
tiently for  Marcy  to  say  it ;  and  when  at  last 
the  boy  made  up  his  mind  that  he  had  heard 
all  he  cared  to  hear  from  Hanson,  he  brought 
his  leg  down  from  the  horn  of  his  saddle, 
placed  his  foot  in  the  stirrup,  and  gathered  up 
the  reins  as  if  he  were  about  to  ride  away. 

"Kelsey  didn't  say  nothing  to  get  you  and 
your  maw  down  on  me,  did  he?"  inquired 
Hanson,  when  he  observed  these  movements. 


HIDING  THE  FLAGS.  45 

"I  shouldn't  like  for  to  lose  my  place  just 
because  I  am  strong  for  the  Union  and  dead 
against  secession." 

"  If  you  lose  your  i:)lace  on  that  account, 
it'll  be  because  Colonel  Shelby  and  his  friends 
will  have  it  so,"  answered  Marcy.  "  You  are 
hired  to  do  an  overseer's  Avork ;  and  as  long 
as  you  attend  to  that  and  nothing  else^  you 
will  have  no  trouble  with  me.  You  may  de- 
pend upon  that." 

''But  before  you  go  I'd  like  to^uiow,  pine- 
plank,  whether  you  are  friendly  to  me  or  not," 
continued  Hanson,  avIio  was  obliged  to  confess 
to  himself  that  he  had  not  learned  the  first 
thing,  during  the  interview,  that  could  be  used 
against  Marcy  or  his  mother. 

"  I  am  a  friend  to  you  in  this  way,"  was  the 
answer.  "If  I  found  you  out  there  in  the 
woods  cold  and  hungry,  and  hiding  from  sol- 
diers who  were  trying  to  make  a  prisoner  of 
you,  I  would  feed  and  warm  you  ;  and  I 
wouldn't  care  whether  you  had  a  gray  jacket 
or  a  blue  coat  on." 

"  He's  a  trifle  the  cutest  chap  I've  run  across 
in  many  a  long  day,"  muttered  the  overseer, 


46  MAPwCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


as  Marcy  turned  his  filly  about  and  rode 
away.  "I  couldn't  make  him  tell  whether  he 
was  Union  or  secesh,  although  I  give  him  all 
the  chance  in  tlie  world,  and  he  didn'  t  say 
"money"  a  single  time.  Now,  what's  to  be 
done  ?  If  the  money  is  there  and  Beardsley  is 
bound  to  have  it,  he'd  best  be  doing  something 
before  that  sailor  gets  back,  for  they  say  he's 
lightning  and  will  fight  at  the  drop  of  the  hat. 
I  reckon  I'd  better  make  some  excuse  to  ride 
over  town  so't  I  can  see  Colonel  Shelby." 

"I  think  I  have  laid  that  little  scheme  most 
effectually,"  w^as  what  Marcy  Gray  said  to 
himself  as  he  rode  aAvay  from  the  stump  on 
which  the  overseer  was  sitting.  ' '  They  haven' t 
got  a  thing  out  of  me,  and  I  have  left  the  mat- 
ter in  their  own  hands.  If  there  is  anything 
done  toward  getting  Hanson  away  from  this 
country  (and  I  wish  to  goodness  there  might 
be),  Shelby  and  his  hypocritical  gang  can  have 
the  fun  of  doing  it,  and  shoulder  all  the  re- 
sponsibility afterward." 

But  -what  was  the  object  of  the  plot  ?  That 
was  w^hat  "banged"  Marcy,  and  he  told  his 
mother  so  after  he  had  given  her  a  minute  de- 


HIDING  THE   FLAGS.  47 

scription  of  liis  brief  interview  with  the  over- 
seer. AYas  it  possible  that  there  were  some 
strong  Union  men  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
that  Beardsley  hoped  Marcy  wouki  incur  their 
enmity  by  discharging  Hanson  on  account  of 
his  alleged  principles  ?  Marcy  knew  better 
than  to  believe  that,  and  so  did  his  mother. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I  think  to  be  the  most 
reasonable  view  of  the  case,"  said  the  bo  v. 
after  taking  a  few  turns  across  the  floor  and 
spending  some  minutes  in  a  brown  study. 
"  Beardsley  knows  there  is  no  man  in  the  fam- 
ily; that  we'd  be  only  too  glad  to  have  some- 
body to  go  to  for  advice  ;  and  he  hoped  we 
would  take  that  ignorant  Hanson  for  a  coun- 
selor, if  he  could  make  us  believe  that  he  was 
really  Union.  But  Hanson  didn't  fool  me,  for 
he  didn't  go  at  it  in  the  right  way.  He's 
secesh  all  over.  The  next  thing  on  the  pro- 
gram will  be  something  else." 

"I  trust  it  will  not  be  a  midnight  visit  from 
a  mob,''  said  his  mother,  who  trembled  at  the 
bare  thought  of  such  a  thing. 

"  So  do  I ;  but  if  they  come,  we'll  see  what 
they  will  make  by  it.     They  might  burn  the 


48  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNEK. 


lionse  witliont  finding  anything  to  reward  tliem 
for  their  trouble." 

'    *'0h,  Marcy.     You  surely  don't  think  they 
would  do  anything  so  barbarous." 

"  They  might.  Think  of  what  that  Commit- 
tee of  Safety  did  at  Barrington." 

*'  But  what  would  we  do  ?  " 

^'Live  in  the  quarter,  as  Elder  Bo  wen  and 
the  other  Union  men  in  Barrington  did  after 
their  houses  w^ere  destroyed.  And  if  they 
burned  the  servants'  homes  as  w^ell  as  our  own, 
W'o'd  throw  u])  a  shelter  of  some  sort  in  the 
w^oods.  I  don't  reckon  that  Julius  and  I  have 
forgotten  how  to  handle  axes  and  build  log 
cabins.     The  jiractice  we  have  had  in  building 

turkey  traps  would  stand Say,"  whisi:)ered 

Marcy  suddenly,  at  the  same  time  putting  his 
arm  around  his  mother's  neck  and  speaking 
the  words  close  to  her  ear,  "if  a  mob  should 
come  here  to-night  and  go  over  the  house,  we'd 
be  ruined.  There  are  those  Union  flags,  you 
know." 

''I  never  once  thought  of  them,"  was  the 
frightened  answer.  "Suppose  I  had  had  a 
mob  for  visitors  while  you  were  at  sea  ?    Our 


HIDING  THE   FLAGS.  49 

home  would  be  in  aslies  now.  Those  flags  are 
dangerous  things,  and  must  be  disposed  of 
without  loss  of  time.  I  am  sorry  you  brought 
them  home  with  you.  Don't  you  think  you 
had  better  destroy  them  while  you  have  them 
in  mind  ? ' ' 

"Of  course  I  will  do  it  if  you  say  so,  and 
think  it  will  make  you  feel  any  safer ;  but  I 
was  intending — you  see " 

His  countenance  fell,  and  his  mother  was 
quick  to  notice  it.  "  What  did  you  intend  to 
do  with  them?"  she  asked. 

"One  of  them  used  to  float  over  the 
academy,"  replied  Marcy.  "  Dick  Graham,  a 
Missouri  boy,  than  whom  a  better  fellow  never 
lived,  stole  it  out  of  the  colonel's  room  one 
night  because  he  did  not  want  to  see  it  insulted 
and  destroyed,  as  it  would  have  been  if  Rodney 
and  his  friends  could  have  got  their  hands 
upon  it.  He  gave  it  to  me  because  he  knew  it 
would  some  day  be  something  to  feel  proud 
over,  and  said  he  hoped  to  hear  that  it  had 
been  run  up  again." 

"But,  Marcy,  you  dare  not  hoist  it  here," 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Gray. 

4 


50  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

"  Not  now;  but  there  may  come  a  time  when 
I  shall  dare  do  it.  The  other  flag — well,  the 
other  was  made  by  a  Union  girl  in  Barrington, 
who  had  to  work  on  it  by  stealth,  because  her 
sister,  and  every  other  member  of  her  family 
except  her  father,  were  the  worst  kind  of 
secesh.  Rodney  thought  sure  he  was  going  to 
put  the  Stars  and  Bars  on  the  tower  when  the 
Union  colors  were  stolen,  but  our  fellows  got 
mine  up  first,  and  woi^ld  have  kept  it  there  if 
they  had  had  to  fight  to  do  it.  But  I'll  put 
them  in  the  stove  if  you  think  best." 

*'You  need  not  do  anything  of  the  kind," 
said  Mrs.  Gray,  whose  patriotism  had  been 
awakened  by  the  simple  narrative.  "I  shall 
not  permit  a  party  of  beardless  boys  to  show 
more  loyalty  than  I  am  willing  to  show  my- 
self." 

"Bully  for  you,  mother!"  cried  Marcy. 
"We'll  see  both  of  them  in  the  air  before 
many  months  more  have  passed  over  our  heads. 
Now,  think  of  some  good  hiding  place  for 
them,  and  I'll  put  them  there  right  away. 
Not  in  the  ground,  you  know,  for  if  the  Union 
troops  should    ever  come  marching  through 


HIDING  THE   FLAGS.  51 

here,  we  should  want  to  get  them  out  in  a 
hurry." 

"  How  would  it  do  to  sew  them  up  in  a  bed- 
quilt  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Gray,  suggesting  the  first 
"  good  hiding  place  "  that  came  into  her  mind. 

"That's  the  very  spot,"  replied  Marcy. 
"Put  them  in  one  of  mine,  and  then  I  shall 
have  the  old  flag  over  me  every  night." 

'No  time  was  lost  in  carrying  out  this  decis- 
ion, and  in  a  few  minutes  mother  and  son  were 
locked  in  the  boy's  room,  and  busy  stitching 
the  j)recious  pieces  of  bunting  into  one  of  the 
quilts.  It  never  occurred  to  them  to  ask  what 
they  would  do  or  how  they  would  feel  if  some 
half-clad,  shivering  rebel  should  find  his  way 
into  the  room  and  walk  off  with  that  quilt 
without  so  much  as  saying  "by  your  leave." 
Probably  they  never  dreamed  that  the  soldiers 
of  the  Confederacy  would  be  reduced  to  such 
straits. 


CHAPTER  III. 

BEARDSLEY    BETRAYS   HIMSELF. 

NEVER  before  had  the  hours  hung  as 
heavily  upon  Marcy  Gray's  hands  as 
they  did  at  the  period  of  which  we  write. 
There  was  literally  nothing  he  could  do — at 
least  that  he  loanted  to  do.  He  did  not  care 
to  read  anything  except  the  newspaj)ers,  and 
they  came  only  once  a  day;  he  had  never 
learned  how  to  lounge  around  and  let  the 
hours  drag  themselves  away ;  he  very  soon 
grew  weary  of  sailing  about  the  sound  in  the 
Fairy  Belle  with  the  boy  Julius  for  a  com- 
panion ;  and  so  he  spent  a  little  of  his  time  in 
visiting  among  the  neighboring  planters,  and 
a  good  deal  more  in  "pottering"  among  his 
mother' s  flower  beds.  Visiting  was  the  hardest 
work  he  had  ever  done  ;  but  he  knew  he 
couldn't  shirk  it  without  exciting  talk,  and 
there  was  talk  enough  about  him  in  the  settle- 
ment already. 

52 


BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  53 

To  a  stranger  it  would  have  looked  as  tlioiigli 
lie  had  nothing  to  complain  of.  He  was  cor- 
dially received  wherever  he  went,  often  heard 
himself  spoken  of  as  "one  of  our  brave  boys  " 
(although  what  he  had  done  that  was  so  very 
brave  Marcy  himself  could  not  understand), 
and  visitors  at  Mrs.  Gray's  house  were  as 
numerous  as  they  ever  had  been ;  but  Marcy 
and  his  mother  were  j)eople  who  could  not  be 
easily  deceived  by  such  a  show  of  friendship. 
Some  of  it,  as  they  afterward  learned,  w^as 
genuine  ;  while  the  rest  was  assumed  for  the 
purpose  of  leading  them  on  to  '* declare" 
themselves.  It  was  a  mean  thing  for  neigh- 
bors to  be  guilty  of,  but  you  must  remember 
that,  like  Rodney  Gray  when  he  wrote  that 
mischievous  letter  to  Bud  Goble,  they  did  not 
know  all  the  time  what  they  Avere  doing.  Of 
course  the  high-spirited  Marcy  grew  restive 
under  such  treatment ;  and  when,  after  long 
waiting,  the  postmaster  handed  him  a  letter 
from  Cax3tain  Beardsley,  ordering  him  to  re- 
port on  board  the  Osprey  without  loss  of  time, 
he  did  not  feel  as  badly  over  it  as  he  once 
thought  he  should.     On  the  contrary,  he  ajp- 


54  MARGY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 


peared  to  be  very  jubilant  wlien  lie  showed  the 
letter  to  Allison  and  half  a  score  of  other 
young  rebels  who  were  always  to  be  found 
loafing  around  the  post-office  at  mail  time. 

*'  I'm  off  to  sea  again,"  said  he.  "^  Npw  the 
Yankees  had  better  look  out." 

"It  must  be  an  enjoyable  life,  Marcy,"  re- 
plied Allison.  ''You  see  any  amount  of  fun 
and  excitement,  draw  big  prize-money  in  addi- 
tion to  your  regular  wages,  and,  better  than  all, 
you  run  no  sort  of  risk.  It  may  surprise  you 
to  know  that  I  have  been  turning  the  matter 
over  in  my  mind  a  good  deal  of  late,  and  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  should  enjoy 
being  one  of  a  privateer's  crew.  What  do  you 
think  about  it  ? " 

"lam  not  acquainted  with  a  single  fellow 
who  would  enjoy  it  more,"  answered  Marcy, 
who  told  himself  that  Allison  was  just  coward 
enough  to  engage  in  some  such  disreputable 
business.  "  You  are  just  the  lad  for  it.  It  is 
such  fun  to  bring  a  swift  vessel  to  and  haul 
down  the  old  flag  in  the  face  of  men  who  are 
pow^erless  to  defend  it." 

Sharp  as  Marcy  Gray  was,  his  strong  love  for 


BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  55 

the  Union  and  liis  intense  hatred  for  tlie  busi- 
ness in  which  he  was  perforce  engaged,  some- 
times led  him  to  come  dangerously  near  to 
betraying  himself.  Allison  looked  sharj^ly  at 
him,  but  there  was  nothing  in  Marcy's  face  to 
indicate  that  he  did  not  mean  every  word  he 
said. 

*'  lam  heartily  glad  I  am  going  to  sea  again," 
continued  the  latter;  and  he  told  nothing  but 
the  truth.  The  companionship  of  the  ignorant 
foreigners  who  composed  the  Osprey' s  crew 
was  more  to  his  liking  than  daily  intercourse 
with  pretended  friends  who  were  constantly 
watching  for  a  chance  to  get  him  into  trouble. 

"  Do  you  think  I  could  get  on  with  Captain 
Beardsley  ? ' '  inquired  Allison. 

"  You  might.  The  crew  was  full  when  I  left 
the  schooner,  but  I  will  speak  to  the  captain,  if 
you  would  like  to  have  me." 

"I  really  wish  you  would,  for  I  am  anxious 
to  do  something  for  the  glorious  cause  of  South- 
ern independence.     When  do  you  sail  ? " 

"I  don't  know.  About  all  the  captain  says 
in  his  letter  is  that  he  wants  me  to  report  imme- 
diately." 


56  MARCY,  THE   BLOCK ADE-KUNNER. 

"Does  he  say  wlietlier  or  not  the  IlolUns  has 
been  sokl  yet  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes  ;  he  speaks  of  that,  and  congratu- 
lates me  on  the  fact  that  I  have  eight  hundred 
and  seventy-live  dollars  more  to  my  credit  on 
the  schooner's  books  than  I  did  when  I  left  her 
at  Newbern." 

"  W-h-e-w  !  "  whistled  Allison.  "  How  long 
did  it  take  you  to  make  the  capture  I  " 

"  Four  or  five  hours,  I  should  say." 

"Eight  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  for 
four  or  five  hours'  w^ork !  Marcy,  you  have 
struck  a  gold  mine.  You  will  be  as  rich  as 
Julius  Cffisar  in  less  than  a  year." 

"How  long  do  you  suppose  Uncle  Sam  will 
allow  such — such  work  to  be  kept  up?"  ex- 
claimed Marcy. 

"  Oh,  no  doubt  he  would  be  glad  to  stop  it 
now  if  he  could  ;  but  when  he  tries  it,  he  will 
find  that  he's  got  the  hardest  job  on  his  hands 
he  ever  undertook.  There  never  was  a  better 
place  for  carrying  on  such  business  than  the 
waters  of  North  Carolina.  Our  little  inlets  are 
too  shallow  to  float  a  heavy  man-of-war." 

"  ^0  matter  how  big  the  job  may  be,  you  will 


BEAKDSLEY    BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  57 

find  that  these  small-fry  privateers"  (it  was 
right  on  the  end  of  Marcy's  tongue  to  say  "jji- 
rates")  "will  be  swept  from  the  face  of  the 
earth  in  less  than  a  year  ;  so  that  I  shall  have 
no  chance  to  get  rich.  But  I'll  have  to  be 
going,  for  I  must  start  for  Newbern  this  very 
night.  I  suppose  you  will  all  be  in  the  army 
by  the  time  I  get  back,  so  good-by." 

Allison  and  his  friends  shook  hands  with 
him,  wished  him  another  successful  voyage, 
and  Marcy  mounted  and  rode  away,  his  filly 
never  breaking  her  lope  until  she  turned 
through  the  gate  into  the  yard,  and  drew  up 
before  the  steps  that  led  to  the  porch.  His 
mother  met  him  at  the  door  and  knew  as  soon 
as  she  looked  at  him  that  he  had  news  for  her. 

"Yes,  I've  got  orders  from  Beardsley," 
said  the  boy,  without  waiting  to  be  questioned. 
"And  if  Jack  were  only  here,  and  I  was  about 
to  engage  in  some  honorable  business,  I  should 
be  glad  to  go.  Mother,  on  the  day  we  captured 
the  Hollins  we  robbed  somebody  of  fifty- six 
thousand  dollars." 

"  Oh,  Marcy,  is  it  not  dreadful !  "  said  Mrs. 
Gray. 


58  MAllCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 


u 


It  is,  for  a  fact.  We're  having  a  bully  time 
now,  but  the  day  will  come  when  we'll  have  to 
settle  with  the  fiddler.  You  will  see.  Yes, 
the  vessel  and  her  cargo  sold  for  fifty-six  thou- 
sand dollars.  Half  of  it  went  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  half  of  the  remainder  was  divided 
among  the  three  officers,  Beardsley  getting  the 
lion's  share,  I  bet  you.  The  sixteen  members 
of  the  crew  get  an  equal  share  of  the  other 
fourteen  thousand,  the  difference  in  rank  be- 
tween the  jietty  officers  and  foremast  hands 
being  so  slight  that  Beardsley  did  not  think  it 
worth  while  to  give  one  more  than  another ; 
but  he  hints  that  he  has  got  something  laid  by 
for  me." 

"My  son,  it  will  burn  your  fingers,"  said 
Mrs.  Gray. 

*'  I  can't  help  it  if  it  does.  I'll  have  to  take 
all  he  offers  me,  but,  of  course,  I  don't  expect 
to  keep  it.  Now,  mother,  please  helj)  me  get 
off.  The  longer  I  fool  around  home  the  harder 
it  will  be  to  make  a  start." 

Marcy  wanted  to  caution  his  mother  to  look 
out  for  Hanson  while  he  was  gone  ;  but  he  did 
not  do  it,  for  he  well  knew  that  she  had  enough 


BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  59 

to  trouble  her  alread}^,  and  that  the  mention 
of  the  overseer's  name  would  awaken  all  her 
old  fears  of  spies  and  organized  bands  of  rob- 
bers. He  sent  word  to  Morris,  the  coachman, 
to  have  the  carriage  brought  to  the  door, 
loitered  about  doing  nothing  while  his  mother 
packed  his  valise,  and  in  twenty  minutes  more 
was  on  his  way  to  Newbern,  which  he  reached 
without  any  mishap,  not  forgetting,  however, 
to  send  a  telegram  on  from  Boydtown  inform- 
ing Beardsley  that  his  orders  had  been  re- 
ceived, and  that  the  pilot  was  on  his  way  to 
join  the  Osprey. 

"And  I  wish  I  might  find  her  sunk  at  her 
dock,  and  so  badly  smashed  that  she  never  could 
be  raised  and  repaired,"  was  what  he  thought 
every  time  he  looked  out  of  the  car  window 
and  ran  his  eyes  over  the  crowds  of  excited 
people  that  were  gathered  upon  the  platforms 
of  all  the  depots  they  passed.  "But,  after 
all,  what  difference  does  it  make?  If  I  don't 
go  to  sea  I  shall  have  to  live  among  secret  ene- 
mies, and  I  don't  know  but  one  thing  is  about 
as  bad  as  the  other.  If  any  poor  mortal  ever 
lived  this  way  before,  I  am  sorry  for  him." 


GO  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

Although  Mai'C}^  was  almost  a  stranger  in 
Newbern,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  his 
vessel  when  he  got  out  of  the  cars.  He  walked 
straight  to  her,  and  while  he  w^as  yet  half  a 
block  away,  the  sight  of  her  masts  told  him 
that  she  was  still  on  top  of  the  water.  She 
w^ould  soon  be  ready  to  sail,  too,  for  her  crew 
were  rushing  her  stores  aboard,  while  Captain 
Beardsley  w^alked  his  quarter-deck  smoking  a 
cigar  and  looking  on.  His  face  seemed  to  say 
that  he  was  a  little  surprised  to  see  his  x)ilot ; 
but  if  he  was  he  did  not  show  it  in  his  greet- 
in  o* 

*'Well,  there,  you  did  come  back,  didn't 
yon  ?"  said  he,  extending  his  hand. 

"Of  course  I  came  back,"  replied  Marcy. 
"  What  else  did  yon  expect  me  to  do  ?  I  was 
on  the  road  in  less  than  two  hours  after  your 
order  came  to  hand." 

"That's  prompt  and  businesslike,"  said  the 
captain  approvingly.  "But  I  didn't  look  for 
you  to  appear  quite  so  soon.  How's  everybody 
to  home  ? " 

"All  right  as  far  as  I  could  see  ;  and  Allison 
wants  to  join  your  crew." 


BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  61 

*' The  idea!"  exclaimed  Captain  Beardsley. 
"  Well,  he  can  just  stay  where  he  is  for  all  of 
me,  hollering  for  the  Confederacy  and  doing 
never  a  thing  to  help  us  gain  our  independ- 
ence. His  i^lace  is  in  the  army,  and  I  won't 
have  no  haymakers  aboard  of  me.  See  any 
Union  folks  while  you  was  to  home  ?  " 

"I  saw  and  talked  with  one  man  who  said 
he  was  for  the  Union,"  answered  the  young 
pilot.  He  was  prepared  for  the  question,  and 
positive  that  if  he  managed  the  matter  rightly, 
Beardsley  would  soon  let  him  know  whether 
or  not  he  was  concerned  in  that  little  plot,  as 
Marcy  believed  he  was.  But,  as  it  happened, 
no  management  was  necessary,  for  keeping  a 
secret  was  the  hardest  work  Beardsley  ever 
did. 

''Did,  hey?"  he  exclaimed,  throwing  the 
stump  of  his  cigar  over  the  stern  and  looking 
very  angrj^  indeed.  "  I  always  suspected  that 
man  Hanson.    You  discharged  him,  of  course." 

"No,  I  didn't,"  replied  Marcy.  "It 
wouldn'  t  have  been  safe.  I  told  Kelsey  that 
if  the  colonel  and  his  friends  desired  that  he 
should  be  run  off  the  place,  they  could  attend 


G2  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

to  the  matter  themselves.  I  wouldn't  have  the 
first  thing  to  do  with  it.  I  was  given  to  under- 
stand that  there  were  many  Union  men  in  the 
settlement,  and  I  didn't  care  to  give  them  an 
excuse  for  burning  us  out  of  house  and 
home." 

"That  was  perfectly  right.  And  what  did 
Shelby  say?" 

"I  didn't  hear,  for  he  sent  no  message  to 
me." 

"Did  you  say  anything  to  Hanson  about 
it?" 

"I  did,  and  told  him  that  as  long  as  he  at- 
tended strictly  to  his  business  he  would  have 
no  trouble  with  me." 

Marcy  had  purposely  avoided  speaking  Col- 
onel Shelby's  name  and  Hanson's,  preferring 
to  let  Captain  Beardsley  do  it  himself.  The 
latter  walked  squarely  into  the  trap  without 
appearing  to  realize  that  he  had  done  it,  and 
the  young  pilot  was  satisfied  that  his  com- 
mander was  the  man  who  needed  watching 
more  than  anybody  else. 

"  I  can't  say  that  I  hope  Beardsley  will  be 
killed  or  drowned  during  the  cruise,"  thought 


BEAPwDSLEY   BETKAYS   HIMSELF.  63 

Marcy.  "But  I  do  say  that  if  lie  was  out  of 
tl^e  way  I  would  have  less  trouble  with  my 
neighbors." 

*' Never  mind,"  said  Beardsley,  after  a  little 
pause.  "  When  I  get  home  I  will  ask  Shelby 
and  Dillon  to  tell  me  all  about  it ;  and  if  that 
overseer  of  yonrn  is  really  Union,  i)erhaps  I 
can  make  him  see  that  he  had  better  go  uj)  to 
the  United  States,  where  he  belongs." 

The  captain  took  a  turn  or  two  across  the 
deck,  looked  up  at  the  topmasts  as  he  might 
have  done  if  the  schooner  had  been  under  way 
and  he  wanted  to  make  sure  that  everything 
was  drawing,  and  then  he  leaned  up  against  the 
rail. 

''  Oh  !  "  said  he,  as  if  the  thought  had  just 
come  to  him,  "what  do  you  think  of  your  good 
fortune?  Eight  hundred  dollars  don't  grow 
in  every  boy's  dooryard.  I  tell  you.  And, 
Marcy,"  he  went  on  in  a  lower  tone,  "I've  got 
as  much  more  laid  bv  for  you.  I  told  vou  I 
would  do  the  fair  thing,  and  I  meant  every 
word  of  it.     You're  pilot,  you  know." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  the  boy — not 
because  he  felt  grateful  to  Captain  Beardsley 


64  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

for  giving  liim  nearly  nine  hundred  dollars  of 
another's  man's  money,  but  because  he  kn^w 
he  was  expected  to  say  it. 

"  Seventeen  hundred  dollars  and  better  will 
keep  your  folks  in  grub  and  clothes  for  quite  a 
spell,  won' t  it  ? "  the  captain  continued.  ' '  But 
law  !  what  am  I  sajdng  ?  It  ain't  a  drop  in  the 
bucket  to  such  rich  peoi:)le  as  you  be." 

Marcy  listened,  but  said  nothing.  He 
thought  he  knew  what  Beardsley  had  on  his 
mind. 

"  Some  folks  pertend  to  think  we're  going  to 
have  the  ver}^  toughest  kind  of  a  w^ar,  but  I 
don't,"  said  the  latter.  "The  Yankees  don't 
come  of  fighting  stock,  like  we  Southern  gen- 
tlemen do  ;  but  if  a  war  should  come,  I  sup- 
pose your  folks  are  well  fixed  for  it  ? " 

'*  About  as  well  fixed  as  most  of  the  i^lanters 
in  the  settlement,"  answered  the  pilot.  "You 
know  we've  had  the  best  of  crops  for  a  year  or 
two  back." 

"But  I  mean— you  see — any  money?"  in- 
quired the  captain  cautiously — so  very  cau- 
tiously that  he  thought  it  necessary  to  whisjper 
the  words. 


BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  65 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  we  have  money.  How  could  we 
live  without  it  ?" 

"That's  so;  how  could  you?  I  reckon 
you've  got  right  smart  of  a  lot,  ain't  you  ?  " 

"  Mother  has  some  in  the  bank  at  Wilming- 
ton, but  just  how  much  I  don't  know.  I  never 
asked  her." 

The  young  pilot's  gaze  was  fastened  upon  the 
men  who  were  at  work  getting  the  provisions 
aboard,  but  for  all  that,  he  could  see  that 
Beardsley  was  looking  at  him  as  if  he  meant 
to  read  his  most  secret  thoughts. 

"I  don't  believe  there's  no  money  in  that 
there  house,"  was  what  the  captain  was  saying 
to  himself. 

"  Sly  old  fox,"  thought  Marcy.  "I  knew 
he  would  betray  his  secret  if  I  only  held  my 
tongue  and  gave  him  a  chance  to  do  it."  And 
then  he  asked  the  captain  when  he  expected  to 
get  the  schooner  ready  for  sea,  and  whether  or 
not  any  prizes  had  been  brought  into  x)ort  dur- 
ing his  absence. 

"There's  been  one  prize  brought  in  worth 
ten  thousand  dollars  more'n  our'n,  dog-gone  it 
all — there  she  is  right  over  there — and  there's 


66  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

been  three  blockade-riinners  went  out  and  two 
come  in,"  was  the  captain's  answer.  "  I  didn't 
see  why  they  shoukl  call  'em  blockade-runners 
when  we  didn't  think  there  was  a  blockade  at 
all,  excepting  the  paper  one  that  apj)eared  in 
Lincoln's  proclamation  ;  but  seeing  that  the 
brig  Herald  ain't  been  heard  from  since  she 
run  out  of  Wilmington,  I  begin  to  mistrust 
that  there's  war  vessels  outside,  and  that  the 
Osiirey  may  have  a  chance  to  show  her  heels. 
If  that  hai3i3ens  we'll  make  the  best  time  we 
know  how  for  Crooked  Inlet,  and  trust  to  you 
to  bring  us  through." 

"You  Avon't  need  any  help  from  me,"  Avas 
what  the  boy  said  to  himself.  "I'll  bet  my 
share  of  that  prize-money,  that  if  we  get  into 
trouble  with  a  Union  cruiser  you  will  take 
command  of  the  schooner  yourself  and  sail  her 
through  Crooked  Inlet  as  slick  as  falling  off  a 
log." 

"  The  folks  around  here  and  Wilmington 
have  been  hoping  that  the  Herald  might  be 
captured,  and  that  the  United  States  i3eople 
will  have  the  backbone  to  hold  fast  to  her," 
added  Cax)tain  Beardsley. 


BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  67 

"Why  do  they  hope  for  any  such  bad  luck 
as  that?"  inquired  Marcy,  considerably  sur- 
prised. 

"  May  be  it  wouldn't  be  bad  luck.  You  see 
she  is  a  Britisher,  the  Herald  is,  and  her  cargo 
was  consigned  to  an  English  house  all  fair  and 
square.  A  blockade,  to  be  legal  and  binding 
upon  foreign  nations,  must  be  effectual,"  said 
the  captain,  quoting  the  language  his  agent 
had  often  used  in  his  hearing.  "A  paper 
blockade  won't  do ;  and  if  the  Yankees  can't 
send  ships  enough  here  to  shut  up  our  ports 
completely,  any  Bntisher  or  Frenchman  can 
run  in  and  out  as  often  as  he  feels  like  it,  and 
the  Yankees  dassent  do  a  thing  to  him.  If  the 
Herald  has  been  caj^tured  she  will  have  to  be 
given  uj)." 

"But  suppose  Uncle  Sam  won't  give  her 
up?" 

"We  are  hoping  he  won't,  for  that  will  get 
the  British  folks  down  on  him  ;  and  between 
the  two  of  us  we'll  give  him  such  a  licking 
that  he'll  never  get  over  it.     See  1 " 

Yes  ;  Marcy  saw,  now  that  the  situation  had 
been  explained  to  him,  but  it  was  something  he 


68  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

had  never  thought  of  before.  Almost  the  first 
lesson  he  learned  in  history  was  that  Eng- 
land had  no  love  for  the  United  States,  and 
if  she  took  a  hand  in  the  war  that  was  surely 
coming,  why  then 

"Why,  then,  France  may  help  Uncle  Sam," 
exclaimed  Marcy.  **  She  has  always  been 
friendly  to  us,  and  didn't  she  send  troops 
here  during  our  Bevolutionary  w^ar  to  help  us 
whip  the  English  ?  " 

"  She  did  ;  but  what  was  the  reason  she  sent 
them  troops  over  here?"  demanded  the  cap- 
tain, who  had  heard  this  question  discussed  a 
good  many  times  while  Marcy  was  at  home  on 
his  leave  of  absence.  "Was  it  because  she 
had  any  love  for  republican — republican — ah — 
er — institutions  ?  No,  sir.  It  was  because  she 
wanted  to  spite  the  English  for  taking  Canady 
away  from  her.  France  w^on't  lift  a  hand  to 
help  the  Yankees  if  we  get  into  a  row  with 
them." 

Beardsley  took  another  turn  about  his  quar- 
ter-deck, lighted  a  fresh  cigar,  and  became  con- 
fidential. 

"  Something  tells  me  that  this  business  of 


BEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  69 

j)rivateering  ain't  a  going  to  last  long,  and  so 
I  think  some  of  dropping  it  and  starting- 
out  in  another,"  said  he.  "Any  idea  what 
it  is?" 

Marcy  replied  that  he  had  not. 

"  Well,  it's  trading — running  the  blockade." 

"To  what  ports  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 

"I  can't  rightly  tell  till  I  get  some  word 
from  them  vessels  that's  just  went  out,"  was 
the  answer.  "  But  it'll  be  Nassau  or  Havana, 
one  of  the  two.  I'll  take  cotton  out — cotton 
is  king,  you  know,  and  must  be  had  to  keep 
all  them  working  i3eople  in  England  from 
starving — and  bring  medicine  back.  Medicine 
is  getting  skurse  and  high-priced  already. 
And  percussion  caps.  They're  the  things  you 
can  make  money  on.  Why,  I  have  heard  it 
said  that  there  wasn'  t  enough  gun  caps  in  the 
Confederacy  to  fight  a  battle  with  till  Captain 
Semmes  made  that  tower  of  his  through  the 
Northern  States,  buying  i^owder  and  bullets, 
and  making  contracts  with  the  dollar-loving 
Yankees  to  build  cannon  to  shoot  their  own 
kin  with.  But  I  want  to  see  how  the  land  lays 
before  I  go  into  the  business  of  running  the 


70  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

blockade.  If  there's  big  risk  and  little  profit 
I  ain't  in." 

"What  port  will  you  run  out  of?"  was 
Marcy's  next  question  ;  and  when  the  captain 
said  it  would  probably  be  Wilmington,  the  boy 
was  delighted,  for  he  exjDected  to  hear  him 
announce  that  after  he  gave  up  privateering 
and  took  to  blockade-running  he  would  no 
longer  need  the  services  of  a  pilot.  But  if  such 
a  thought  came  into  Beardsley's  mind  he  did 
not  sjpeak  it  aloud.  Just  then  he  was  called 
to  another  part  of  the  deck  and  Marcy  picked 
up  his  valise  and  went  below. 

"Beardsley  doesn't  mean  to  let  me  go,"  he 
soliloquized,  as  he  tossed  the  valise  into  his 
bunk  and  oi3ened  the  locker  in  which  he  had 
stowed  his  bedding  for  safe-keeping.  "He's 
got  me  fast,  and  there's  no  chance  for  escape 
as  long  as  the  Osprey  remains  in  commission. 
Well,  there's  one  comfort:  Beardsley  is  not  a 
brave  man,  and  he'll  make  haste  to  lay  the 
schooner  up  the  minute  he  has  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  it  is  growing  dangerous  outside." 

Marcy  went  on  deck  again,  and  having  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  loading  of  the  vessel,  saun- 


EEARDSLEY   BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  71 

tered  around  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets. 
He  fully  expected  that  Beardsley  would  have 
something  more  to  say  about  the  money  that 
was  supposed  to  be  hidden  in  Mrs.  Gray's 
house  ;  but  he  didn't,  for  the  captain  had  al- 
most come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  no 
money  there.  If  there  was,  Marcy  could  not 
be  surprised  into  acknowledging  the  fact,  and 
so  Beardsley  thought  it  best  to  let  the  matter 
drop  until  he  could  go  home  and  hold  a  con- 
sultation with  the  overseer. 

Bright  and  early  the  next  morning  the  pri- 
vateer cast  off  her  fasts  and  stood  down  the 
river,  reaching  the  sound  in  time  to  catch  the 
flood  tide  that  hurried  her  up  toward  Crooked 
Inlet.  It  was  now  the  middle  of  July,  and  the 
Union  and  the  Confederacy  stood  fairly  op- 
posed to  each  other.  The  Confederate  Govern- 
ment, having  established  itself  at  Richmond, 
had  pushed  its  outposts  so  far  to  the  north 
that  their  sentries  could  see  the  dome  of  the 
Capitol  across  the  Potomac.  There  were 
nearly  eight  hundred  thousand  square  miles 
in  the  eleven  seceded  States,  and  of  this  im- 
mense territory  all  that  remained  to  the  Union 


72  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-UUNNER. 

were  tlie  few  acres  of  ground  enclosed  witliin 
the  walls  of  Fortress  Monroe  and  Forts  Pickens, 
Taylor,  and  Jeiferson.  Loj^al  Massachusetts 
men  had  been  murdered  in  the  streets  of  Balti- 
more ;  battles  of  more  or  less  importance  had 
been  fought  both  in  the  East  and  West,  and 
on  the  very  day  that  Marcy  joined  the  priA'a- 
teer,  the  future  leader  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  won  a  complete  victory  over  the  rebel 
forces  at  Rich  Mountain.  The  Richmond  pa- 
pers had  very  little  to  say  about  this  fight, 
except  to  assure  their  readers  that  it  was  a 
matter  of  no  consequence  whatever  ;  but  they 
had  a  good  deal  to  say  concerning  the  "gallant 
exploit"  that  Captain  Semmes  had  performed 
a  few  days  before  at  the  passes  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. Well,  it  was  a  brave  act — one  worthy 
of  a  better  cause — to  run  the  little  Sumter  out 
in  the  face  of  a  big  ship  like  the  Brooklyn^  and 
when  Marcy  read  of  it  he  recalled  what  his 
Cousin  Rodney  had  once  said  to  him  while 
they  were  talking  about  sailor  Jack,  who  was 
then  somewhere  on  the  high  seas  : 

"He  may  never  get  back,"   said  Rodney. 
"  We'll  have  a  navy  of  our  own  one  of  these 


BEAKDSLEY    BETRAYS   HI^NISELF.  73 

days,  and  then  every  ship  that  floats  the  old 
flag  will  have  to  watch  out.  We'll  light  bon- 
flres  on  every  part  of  the  ocean." 

That  was  just  what  Captain  Semmes  intended 
to  do,  and  history  tells  how  faithfully  he  car- 
ried out  the  instructions  of  the  Richmond 
Government. 

Somewhat  to  Marcy's  surprise,  Captain 
Beardsley  turned  the  command  over  to  him 
w^hen  the  schooner  reached  Crooked  Inlet,  and 
Marcy  took  her  safely  through  and  out  to  sea. 
If  there  were  any  war  ships  on  the  coast — and 
it  turned  out  that  there  were,  for  the  brig 
Herald  had  been  captured  and  taken  to  a 
K'orthern  port — they  were  stationed  farther 
down  toward  Hatteras  Inlet,  and  the  schooner  s 
lookouts  did  not  see  any  of  them  until  she  had 
been  some  hours  at  sea.  At  daylight  on  the 
morning  of  the  third  day  out  the  thrilling  cry 
from  the  crosstrees  "  sail  ho  !  "  created  a  com- 
motion on  the  privateer's  deck,  and  brought 
Marcy  Gray  up  the  ladder  half  dressed. 

"Where  away  1 "  shouted  Captain  Beard- 
sley. 

"Broad  on  our  weather  beam  and  standing 


74  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


) 


€ 


straight  across  our  bows,"  was  the  encourag- 
ing response  from  aloft. 

"Can  you  make  her  out?"  asked  the  cap- 
tain, prei^aring  to  mount  to  the  crosstrees  with 
a  spy-glass  in  his  hand.  "You're  sure  she 
isn't  a  cruiser?" 

"No,  sir.  She's  a  brig,  and  she's  running 
along  with  everj^thing  set." 

"Then  we  must  cut  her  off  or  she'll  get 
away  from  us.  Put  a  fifteen-second  shell  in 
that  bow  gun,  Tierney!  Stand  by  the  color 
halliards,  Marcy  ! " 

These  orders  were  obeyed  with  an  "Ay,  ay, 
sir,"  although  the  brig  was  yet  so  far  away 
that  she  could  not  be  seen  from  the  deck  ;  but 
as  the  two  vessels  were  sailing  diagonally 
toward  each  other,  she  did  not  long  remain 
invisible.  The  moment  Marcy  caught  sight  of 
her  top- hamper,  and  while  he  stood  with  the 
halliards  in  his  hand  waiting  for  the  order 
to  run  up  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  Captain 
Beardsley  began  swearing  most  lustily  and 
shouting  orders  to  his  mates,  the  sheets  were 
let  out,  the  helm  put  down,  and  the  privateer 
fell  off  four  or  five  points.     Marcy  knew  the 


BEARDSLEY    BETRAYS   HIMSELF.  75 

meaning  of  this  before  the  excited  and  angry 
Beardsley  yelled,  at  the  top  of  his  voice  : 

"The  rascal  is  trying  to  dodge  lis.  He's 
got  lookouts  aloft.  Run  up  that  flag,  Marcy, 
and  see  if  that  won't  quiet  his  feelings.  Them 
war  ships  down  to  Hatteras  have  posted  him, 
and  if  we  don't  handle  ourselves  just  right 
we'll  never  bring  him  within  range." 

Marcy  lost  no  time  in  running  up  the  old  flag; 
but  if  the  master  of  the  brig  saw  it  he  was  not 
deceived  by  it.  He  showed  no  disposition  to 
run  back  to  Hatteras,  and  put  himself  under 
protection  of  the  war  ships  there,  as  Marcy 
thought  and  hoped  he  would,  but  put  his  vessel 
before  the  wind,  squared  his  yards,  and  trusted 
to  his  heels.  It  looked  to  Marcy  like  a  most 
desperate  undertaking,  for  you  will  remember 
that  the  schooner  was  far  ahead  of  the  brig, 
and  that  the  merchant  captain  was  about  to  run 
by  her.  It  didn't  seem  possible  that  he  could 
succeed,  but  the  sequel  proved  that  he  knew 
just  what  his  vessel  Avas  capable  of  doing.  She 
came  up  at  a  "hand  gallop,"  and  finally  showed 
herself  from  water-line  to  main-truck  in  full 
view    of    the    privateer's    crew.     Her    canvas 


7G  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


> 


loomed  up  like  a  great  white  cloud,  and  lier 
low,  black  hull,  by  comparison,  looked  no  big- 
ger than  a  lead  pencil.  She  w^ent  like  the 
wind,  and  Marcy  Gray  told  himself  that  she 
was  the  most  beautiful  object  he  had  ever  seen. 

*'  I  hope  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that 
she  w^ill  get  away,"  w^as  the  one  thought  that 
filled  his  mind. 

Perhaps  the  wish  would  have  been  even  more 
fervent  if  he  had  known  who  was  aboard  that 
brig. 


CHAPTEH  lY. 

TWO   NARROW   ESCAPES. 


(( 


ANOTHER  Caban  trader,"  shouted  Cap- 
-  tain  Beardsley,  standing  erect  upon 
the  crosstrees  and  shaking  his  eye-glass  in  the 
air.  ''She's  worth  double  what  t\\Q  HolUns 
was,  dog-gone  it  all,  and  if  we  lose  her  we  are 
just  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  out  of  pocket. 
Pitch  that  shell  into  her,  Tierne}^  Take  a  stick 
out  of  her  and  I'll  double  j^our  prize  money. 
Ran  up  our  own  flag,  Marcy.  May  be  it  will 
bring  him  to  his  senses." 

The  howitzer's  crew  sprang  at  the  word. 
The  canvas  covering  was  torn  off  the  gun  and 
cast  aside,  the  train-tackles  were  manned,  and  a 
minute  afterward  a  fifteen-second  shrapnel 
went  shrieking  toward  the  brig,  all  the  pri- 
vateer's men  standing  on  tiptoe  to  watch  the 
effect  of  the  shot.  To  Marcy' s  great  delight 
the  missile  struck  the  water  far  short  of  the 
mark,  ricocheted  along  the  surface  a  few  hun- 

77 


78  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

dred  yards  farther,  and  finally  exploded,  throw- 
ing up  a  cloud  of  spray,  but  doing  no  harm  to 
the  brig,  which  never  loosened  tack  or  sheet, 
but  held  gallantly  on  her  way.  A  moment 
after  the  shrapnel  exploded,  her  flag — the  old 
flag — fluttered  out  from  under  the  lee  of  her 
spanker,  and  little  puffs  of  smoke  arose  from 
her  port  quarter.  Some  of  her  crew  were  firing 
at  the  privateer  with  rifles.  Of  course,  the  dis- 
tance was  so  great  that  they  never  heard  the 
whistle  of  the  bullet,  but  it  Avas  an  act  of 
defiance  that  drove  Captain  Beardsley  almost 
frantic. 

"  When  we  catch  her  I'll  hang  the  men  who 
fired  those  shots,"  he  shouted,  jumping  up  and 
down  on  his  lofty  perch.  "What  are  you 
standing  there  gaping  at,  Tierney  ?  Give  that 
gun  more  elevation  and  try  her  again." 

"I  had  her  up  to  the  last  notch  in  the  rear 
sight,  sir,"  replied  Tierney.  "I  can't  give  the 
gun  any  more  elevation.  The  cascabel  is  down 
to  the  bottom  of  the  screw  now.  I  can't  reach 
the  brig  into  an  eighth  of  a  mile." 

"  Try  her  again,  I  tell  you,"  roared  the  en- 
raged captain.     "Are  you  going  to  stand  chin- 


TWO   NARROW   ESCAPES.  79 

ning  there  while  a  hundred  thousand  dollars 
slips  through  our  fingers  ? ' ' 

The  captain  continued  to  talk  in  this  way 
while  the  howitzer  was  loaded  and  trained  for 
the  second  shot ;  but  he  might  as  well  have 
saved  his  ammunition,  for  this  shrapnel,  like 
the  first,  did  no  harm  to  the  brig.  It  didn'  t 
frighten  her  company,  either,  for  they  set  up  a 
derisive  yell,  which  came  faintly  to  the  ears  of 
the  j)rivateer's  crew. 

''  Oh^  how  rd  like  to  get  my  hands  on  that 
fellow!"  shouted  Captain  Beardsley.  "I'd 
learn  him  to  insult  a  Confederate  government 
vessel.     I'd " 

Marcy  Gray,  who  stood  holding  fast  to  the 
halliards,  looking  aloft  and  listening  to  what 
Beardsley  had  to  say,  saw  the  lookout,  who 
had  remained  at  his  post  all  this  time,  touch 
the  captain  on  the  shoulder  and  direct  his  gaze 
toward  something  in  the  horizon.  Marcy 
looked,  too,  and  was  electrified  to  see  a  thick, 
black  smoke  floating  up  among  the  clouds. 
Could  it  be  that  there  was  a  cruiser  oif  there 
bearing  down  upon  them  \  He  looked  at  Caj)- 
tain  Beardsley  again,  and  came  to  the  conclu- 


80  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

sion  that  there  must  be  something  suspicious 
about  the  stranger,  for  the  captain,  after  gazing 
at  the  smoke  through  his  glass,  squared  around 
and  backed  down  from  aloft  with  much  more 
celerity  than  Marcy  ever  saw  him  exhibit 
before. 

*'Itis  a  cruiser,"  thought  the  young  x)ilot, 
Avhen  the  captain  assumed  charge  of  the  deck 
and  ordered  the  schooner  to  be  j)ut  about  and 
headed  toward  Crooked  Inlet.  ' '  She  has  heard 
the  sound  of  our  guns  and  is  coming  up  to  see 
what  is  the  matter." 

Marcy  couldn't  decide  whether  the  captain's 
pale  face  and  excited,  nervous  manner  w^ere 
occasioned  by  the  fears  that  had  been  conjured 
np  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  that  strange 
vessel  in  the  offing,  or  by  the  rage  and  disaj)- 
pointment  he  felt  over  the  loss  of  the  valuable 
prize  he  had  so  confidently  expected  to  capture. 
He  hauled  down  the  schooner' s  flag,  jDacked  it 
away  in  the  chest  where  it  was  usually  kept, 
and  then  had  leisure  to  take  a  look  at  the  crew. 
Could  they  be  the  same  men  wdio  had  so  val- 
iantly fired  into  that  unarmed  brig  a  short  half 
hour  before  ? 


TWO   NAREOW   ESCAPES.  81 

^^  It  is  a  cruiser,"  repeated  Marcy,  turning 
to  the  side  to  conceal  the  look  of  exultation 
which  he  knew  the  thought  brought  to  his 
face.  '^  It  can't  be  anything  else,  for  the  whole 
ship's  company  are  scared  out  of  their  boots. 
We  were  so  busy  with  the  brig  that  we  never 
saw  her  until  she  got  so  close  on  to  us  that  she 
is  liable  to  cut  us  off  from  the  Inlet.  If  she 
comes  within  range  of  us  Captain  Beardsley 
will  find  that  there  is  a  heap  of  difference  be- 
tween shooting  and  being  shot  at.    I  hope " 

Marcy  was  about  to  add  that  he  hojDed  the 
on-coming  war  ship  would  either  capture  or  sink 
the  Osprey,  and  so  put  a  stop  to  her  i^iratical 
career  ;  but  if  she  did,  what  would  become  of 
him  ?  If  one  of  those  big  shells  came  crashing 
into  the  schooner,  it  would  be  as  likely  to  hit 
him  as  anybody  else,  and  if  the  privateer  were 
cut  off  from  the  Inlet  and  captured,  he  would 
be  taken  prisoner  with  the  rest  of  the  crew 
and  sent  to  some  Northern  x)rison.  Of  course, 
Marcy  could  not  make  the  captain  of  the  war 
ship  believe  that  he  did  not  ship  on  the  jyviva- 
teer  of  his  own  free  will,  and  that  he  was  strong 
for  the  Union ;  and  indeed  it  would  be  danger- 

6 


82  MAKCY,  THE   13L0CKADE-KUNNER. 

ous  for  liim  to  try,  for  tlie  folks  at  home  would 
be  sure  to  hear  of  it  sooner  or  later,  and  then 
what  would  liappen  to  his  mother?  As  the 
young  pilot  turned  these  thoughts  over  in  his 
mind,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would 
feel  a  little  safer  if  he  knew  that  the  schooner 
would  reach  the  Inlet  in  advance  of  the  steamer, 
but  he  was  obliged  to  confess  that  it  looked 
doubtful.  She  was  coming  up  rapidly,  land 
was  a  long  way  off,  and  it  would  be  many  hours 
before  darkness  came  to  their  aid. 

''  That  rain  squall  out  there  is  our  only  sal- 
vation," Marcy  heard  the  captain  say  to  one  of 
the  mates.  "  When  it  comes  up  we'll  haul  our 
wind  and  run  for  Hatteras.  The  cruiser  Avill 
hold  straight  on  her  course,  and  if  the  squall 
lasts  long  enough  we  may  be  able  to  run  her 
out  of  sight." 

Although  Captain  Beardsley  was  frightened 
at  the  prospect  of  falling  into  the  hands  of 
those  whose  flag  he  had  insulted,  he  did  not 
lose  his  head.  The  i^lan  he  had  suddenly 
adopted  for  eluding  the  steamer  i)roved  that  he 
could  take  desperate  chances  when  it  was 
necessary.    By  hauling  his  wind  (which  in  this 


TWO  NARROW   ESCAPES.  83 

case  meant  shaping  the  schooner's  course  as 
near  as  possible  toward  the  point  from  which 
the  wind  was  blowing),  he  would  be  comj)elled 
to  pass  within  a  few  miles  of  the  steamer,  and 
if  the  rain-cloud,  under  cover  of  which  he 
hoped  to  escape,  lifted  for  the  space  of  one 
short  minute,  he  was  almost  certain  to  be 
discovered.  The  squall  came  up  directly  be- 
hind the  steamer,  and  in  about  half  an  hour 
overtook  and  shut  her  out  from  view. 

"Now's  our  time,"  exclaimed  Beardsley. 
"  Flatten  in  the  fore  and  main  sails  and  give  a 
strong  pull  at  the  headsail  sheets.  Tierney, 
go  to  the  wheel." 

Marcy  lent  a  hand,  and  while  the  orders 
were  being  obeyed  was  gratified  to  hear  one  of 
the  crew  remark  that  the  squall  was  something 
more  than  a  squall;  that  it  was  coming  to  stay, 
and  that  they  would  be  lucky  if  they  saw  the 
end  of  it  by  sunrise  the  next  morning.  If  that 
proved  to  be  the  case  they  ^vould  have  nothing 
to  fear  from  the  steamer.  All  they  would  have 
to  look  out  for  was  shipwreck. 

Half  an  hour  was  all  the  time  that  was  neces- 
sary to  prove  that  the  sailor  knew  what  he  was 


84  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

talking  about.  The  wind  blew  a  gale  and  the 
rain  fell  in  torrents.  Just  before  'the  storm 
reached  them,  Captain  Beardsley  thought  it 
would  be  wise  to  shorten  his  canvas,  but  all  he 
took  in  were  the  gaff-tojDsails  and  fore-topmast 
staysail.  Shortly  afterward  it  became  neces- 
sary to  reef  the  sails  that  were  left,  and  when 
that  had  been  done  the  captain  declared  that 
he  wouldn't  take  in  anything  else,  even  if  he 
knew  that  the  wind  would  take  the  sticks  out 
of  the  schooner  by  the  roots.  He  would  rather 
be  wrecked  than  go  to  prison  any  day. 

Things  could  not  have  worked  more  to 
Beardsley' s  satisfaction  if  he  had  had  the 
planning  of  the  storm  himself.  The  privateer' s 
crew  never  saw  the  steamer  after  the  rain  and 
mist  shut  her  out  from  view ;  and  when  the 
sun  arose  the  next  morning,  after  the  wildest 
night  Marcy  Gray  ever  experienced  on  the 
water,  there  was  not  a  sail  in  sight. 

"  I  wish  it  was  safe  for  us  to  stand  out  and 
try  our  luck  again,"  said  Captain  Beardsley, 
who  had  been  aloft  sweeping  the  horizon  with 
his  glass.  "But  the  Yankee  war  shij)s  are 
getting  too  thick  for  comfort." 


TWO   NAKROW   ESCAPES.  85 


a 


Don't  yon  expect  to  find  some  of  tliem 
about  Hatteras  ?  "  inquired  Marcy. 

"  Of  course  I  do.  I  believe  the  one  that  was 
chasing  us  yesterday  came  from  there,  and  that 
that  brig  we  lost  held  some  communication 
with  her  before  she  sighted  us.  If  she  hadn't 
been  warned  by  somebody,  what  was  the  reason 
she  began  dodging  the  minute  she  saw  us  ?  I 
hope  to  slip  in  between  them,  or  at  least  to  get 
under  the  i)rotection  of  the  guns  of  the  forts  at 
the  Inlet  before  any  of  the  cruisers  can  come 
within  range.  Privateering  is  played  out  along 
this  coast.  As  soon  as  we  get  into  port  I  shall 
tear  out  the  bunks  below,  reduce  my  crew,  and 
go  to  blockade  running." 

^'But  you'll  run  the  same  risk  of  caxDture 
that  you  do  now,"  Marcy  reminded  him. 

"  But  I  won't  be  caj^tured  with  guns  aboard 
of  me,"  said  Beardsley,  with  a  wink  that 
doubtless  meant  a  great  deal.  ''  Perhaps  you 
don't  know  it,  but  I  gave  orders,  in  case  that 
steamer  sighted  us  again,  to  throw  everything 
in  the  shape  of  guns  and  ammunition  overboard. 
Then  they  couldn't  have  proved  a  thing  against 


us." 


86  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

''  The  size  of  your  crew  would  liave  laid  you 
ox)en  to  suspicion,"  rej^lied  Marcy. 

^'Yes;  but  susx)icion  and  proof  are  two 
different  things,"  was  the  captain's  answer. 
"But  I  am  afraid  of  them  howitzers,  all  the 
same,  and  am  going  to  get  shet  of  them  the 
minute  we  get  to  Newbern.  I  don't  reckon  I 
can  give  you  a  furlong  to  go  home  this  time, 
'cause  it  won't  take  two  days  to  get  the 
schooner  ready  to  take  out  a  load  of  cotton." 

''But  you'll  not  need  a  pilot  any  longer," 
said  Marcy,  who  was  very  much  disax)pointed. 

"What's  the  reason  I  won't?  Do  you 
reckon  I'm  going  to  run  out  of  Hatteras  in  the 
face  of  all  thew^ar  ships  that  are  fooling  around 
here  ?  Not  much.  And  I'm  not  going  to  hug 
the  coast,  neither.  I'll  make  Crooked  Inlet 
my  point  of  departure,  like  I  always  have 
done,  and  then  I'll  stand  straight  out  to  sea 
till  I  get  outside  the  cruisers'  beat.  See  ? 
Then  I'll  shape  my  course  for  Nassau.  It'll 
give  us  a  heap  of  bother  and  we'll  go  miles  out 
of  our  way  ;  but  we'll  be  safe." 

"But  suppose  we  are  captured  after  all 
your  precautions  ;  what  then?" 


TWO  :n'arrow  escapes.  87 

''Well,  if  we  are  we'll  lose  our  vessel  and 
be  sent  to  jail ;  but  we'll  not  be  treated  as 
pirates,  don't  you  see  ?  The  Northern  folks 
are  awful  mad  'cause  our  President  has  issued 
letters  of  mark-we  and  reprisal,  and  their 
papers  demand  that  every  one  of  us  who  is 
taken  shall  be  hung  to  the  yardarm.  To  tell 
you  the  honest  truth,  that  kinder  scared  me, 
and  that's  one  reason  why  I  want  to  get  out  of 
the  business  of  i)rivateering." 

''And  you  think  you  will  still  need  a  pilot  ? " 

"  Can't  you  see  it  for  yourself  from  what  I 
have  told  you?"  asked  Beardsley,  in  reply. 
"And,  Marcy,  you'll  make  more  money  with 
less  risk  than  you  do  in  this  business.  It  ain't 
to  be  expected  that  men  will  run  the  risk  of 
going  to  jail  for  regular  foremast  hands'  wages. 
They  want  more  money,  and  it's  right  that 
they  should  have  it.  Why,  them  blockade- 
runners  I  told  you  about  paid  their  hands  five 
hundred  dollars  apiece  for  the  run  to  N^assau 
and  back.     What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  " 

"I  think  it  is  good  wages,"  replied  Marcy. 
["If  the  business  was  onlv  safe  and  honor- 
able,"  he  added,  to  himself.] 


88  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 


5 


^'  Of  course  it  is  good  wages.  I  don't  expect 
to  get  a  crew  for  any  less ;  but,  as  I  said  be- 
fore, I'll  do  the  fair  thiug  by  you.  If  you  go 
home  you  wall  have  to  enlist — I've  heard  the 
folks  say  that  everybody  had  got  to  show  his 
hand  one  way  or  the  other — and  then  you  would 
get  only  twelve  or  thirteen  dollars  a  month. 
Think  of  that!" 

Marcy  was  right  when  he  told  himself  that 
the  captain  had  him  fast,  and  that  there  was  no 
release  for  him  as  long  as  the  Osprey  remained 
in  commission.  It  was  a  gloomy  outlook,  but 
the  only  thing  he  could  do  was  to  make  the 
best  of  it. 

As  soon  as  the  captain  thought  it  safe  to  do  so 
every  inch  of  the  privateer's  canvas  w^as  given 
to  the  breeze,  and  she  made  good  headway 
toward  her  destination.  That  day  and  the  en- 
suing night  passed  Avithout  excitement  of  any 
sort,  and  at  sunrise  the  next  morning  two  ob- 
jects were  in  plain  sight  from  the  schooner's 
deck.  One  w^as  the  entrance  to  Hatteras  Inlet, 
and  the  other  was  a  large  steamer  in  the  offing. 
The  two  vessels  had  been  in  view  of  each  other 
ever  since  daylight.    They  w^ere  both  headed  for 


TWO   NARROW   ESCAPES.  89 

the  same  point — one  making  the  most  desperate 
efforts  to  place  herself  under  cover  of  the  guns 
of  the  forts,  and  the  other  making  equally  des- 
perate efforts  to  bring  the  schooner  within 
range  of  her  bow- chaser  before  she  could  get 
there.  It  was  a  close  and  exciting  race,  and 
the  crews  of  both  vessels  watched  it  anxiously. 
The  black  smoke  rolled  in  thick  clouds  from 
the  steamer's  funnels,  and  the  i^rivateer's  top- 
masts snapped  and  bent  like  fishing-rods,  Avhile 
her  white-faced  captain  paced  his  quarter-deck, 
dividing  his  attention  between  his  imperilled 
top-hamper  and  the  pursuing  steamer,  and  rub- 
bing his  hands  nervously.  At  last  the  cli- 
max came.  A  puff  of  white  smoke  arose 
from  the  steamer's  bow,  and  a  shell  from  an 
old-fashioned  smooth-bore  thirty-two  j)ounder 
dropped  into  the  water  about  half  way  between 
her  and  the  flying  schooner.  If  that  same 
steamer  had  had  for  a  bow-chaser  the  heavy 
rifled  gun  she  had  a  few  months  later,  the  re- 
sult would  have  been  different.  As  it  was, 
Captain  Beardsley  gathered  courage,  and  the 
anxious  look  left  his  face. 

'^  If  that's  the  best  he  can  do  we're  all  right," 


90  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNEK. 

said  lie  gleefully.  "  If  this  breeze  liolds  half 
an  hour  longer  we'll  show  him  our  Hag." 

"  Shall  we  give  him  an  answei*  from  one  of 
the  howitzers,  sir?"  inquired  Tierney. 

"Not  for  your  life !  "  replied  Beardsley, 
quickly.  And  then  he  added  in  a  lower  tone, 
addressing  himself  to  Marcy,  who  stood  near, 
"That  would  be  a  bright  idea,  wouldn't  it? 
This  breeze  may  die  away  an}^  minute,  and  we 
don't  want  to  do  anything  to  make  them 
Yankees  madder  at  us  than  they  be  now. 
Another  thing,  we  mustn't  give  'em  anything 
to  remember  this  schooner  by.  We  may  be 
caught  when  we  try  to  run  the  blockade  with 
our  cargo  of  cotton,  and  we  don't  want  any- 
body to  recall  the  fact  that  we  once  had  guns 
aboard.     See?" 

It  was  a  long  time  before  Marcy  Gray  could 
make  up  his  mind  how  the  chase  was  going  to 
end,  although  he  noticed  when  it  first  began 
that  there  were  two  things  in  the  schooner's 
favor.  One  was  that  she  was  so  far  out  of 
range  that  her  i)ui'suer  could  not  crix)ple  her, 
and  the  other  was,  that  the  wind  that  was  favor- 
able to  her  was  unfavorable  to  the  steamer,  so 


TWO   NARROW   ESCAPES.  91 

that  the  latter  could  not  use  her  sails.  He 
also  took  note  of  the  fact  that  Beardsley  hugged 
the  shore  pretty  closely,  and  this  made  it  evi- 
dent that  he  intended  to  beach  the  schooner 
rather  than  permit  her  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  Yankees.  But  he  was  not  driven  to  such 
extremity.  The  breeze  held  out,  and  although 
the  steamer  continued  to  fire  her  bow-chaser  at 
intervals,  the  i)rivateer  rounded  the  i^oint  un- 
harmed ;  while  the  i^ursuer,  not  caring  to  trust 
herself  within  range  of  the  rifled  guns  on  shore, 
veered  around  and  stood  out  to  sea.  A  look 
through  his  glass  showed  Beardsley  that  the 
half- finished  batteries  had  been  manned  in 
readiness  to  give  the  war  shij)  a  warm  reception 
if  she  had  ventured  to  follow  the  privateer 
through  the  Inlet. 

"  Marcy,  run  up  the  flag  so  that  our  friends 
in  the  forts  can  see  who  we  are  !  "  commanded 
Beardsley.  ' '  The  last  time  we  sailed  through 
here  we  had  a  prize  following  in  our  wake,  and 
we  would  have  had  a  more  valuable  one  to-day 
if  that  brig  hadn't  been  warned  by  them 
Yankees  outside." 

The  Confederate  emblem  proved   to  be  as 


99  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-rvITNNER. 

good  as  a  countersign,  and  Captain  Beardsley 
was  permitted  to  sail  on  through  the  Inlet 
without  going  ashore  to  give  an  account  of 
himself.  As  soon  as  he  was  safe  inside  the  bar 
he  directed  his  course  toward  Newbern,  which 
he  reached  without  any  more  adventures  ;  but 
there  were  no  cheers  to  greet  him  as  his  schooner 
was  pulled  into  the  wharf.  Beardsley' s  agent, 
who  was  the  first  to  spring  over  the  rail,  looked 
very  much  disgusted. 

''Why,  Cai)tain,  how  is  this  ? "  were  the  first 
words  he  uttered.  "I  didn't  expect  to  see 
you  come  back  empty  handed." 

"No  more  did  I  expect  to  come  back  that 
way,"  was  the  captain's  reply.  "But  we  can't 
always  have  luck  on  our  side.  There  is  too 
many  cruisers  out  there." 

"  Did  you  see  any  of  them  ? " 

"  Well,  I  reckon.  We  had  a  race  with  two 
of  them,  and  I  ain't  going  privateering  no 


more." 


' '  Scared  out,  are  you  ? ' '  said  the  agent,  with 
some  contemi)t  in  his  tones.  "Well,  it  may 
interest  you  to  know  that  while  you  Avere  fool- 
ing around  out  there,  doing  nothing,  we  have 


TWO   NARROW   ESCAPES.  93 

fonglit  the  battle  tliat  will  bring  iis  our  inde- 
pendence." 

^' You  did?"  exclaimed  Beardsley,  who 
knew  that  the  agent  thought  he  had  played 
the  part  of  a  coward  in  making  such  haste  to 
get  back  to  port.  "  You  didn't  have  nary  hand 
in  it.  You  stay  around  home,  yelling  for  the 
Confederacy,  and  flinging  your  slurs  at  we  uns 
Avho  have  been  under  the  Are  of  a  Yankee  war 
ship,  but  you  ain't  got  the  pluck  to  go  into  the 
service  yourself.  We  didn't  see  but  one  mer- 
chantman while  we  was  gone  and  she  was  a 
brig  ;  and  as  she  carried  three  times  the  canvas 
we  did  she  had  the  heels  of  us,  and  besides  she 
wouldn't  let  us  come  within  range.  It  was  all 
we  wanted  to  "do  to  get  into  Hatteras,  on  ac- 
count of  the  cruiser  that  fired  on  us.  What 
battle  was  it  that  gained  us  our  independ- 
ence?" 

"  Bull  Run,"  replied  the  agent. 

"Where's  that?" 

' '  Somewhere  up  in  Virginia.  We  had  thirty- 
five  thousand  men  and  the  Yankees  more  than 
twice  as  many  ;  but  we  threw  them  into  a  panic 
and    run    them    clear    into    Washington.      I 


94  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

expect  our  army  lias    got  the  city  by  this 
time." 

**  I  didn't  think  the  Yankees  would  fight," 
said  the  captain  reflectively.  "Then  the  war 
is  just  as  good  as  over." 

"That's  what  the  Richmond  papers  say." 

"  And  it  won't  be  no  use  for  me  to  go  block- 
ade running  ? " 

* '  Oh,  yes  it  will.  Peace  hasn'  t  been  declared 
yet,  and  you  had  better  make  money  at  some- 
thing while  you  can.  After  all,  I  don't  know 
that  I  blame  you  for  coming  back.  We've  lost 
two  blockade-runners  and  one  privateer  since 
you  went  out." 

' '  There,  now ' ' ;  exclaimed  Beardsley.  ' '  And 
I'd  have  lost  my  own  vessel  if  I  hadn't  had 
the  best  of  luck.  What  you  sneering  at  me 
for?" 

"  Well,  you  see  you  were  safe  outside,  and  I 
was  sure  you  would  come  back  with  a  prize.  I 
was  disappointed  when  I  saw  you  coming  up 
the  river  alone." 

"  Not  more  disapjDointed  than  I  was  myself," 
answered  the  captain.  "That  brig  was  worth 
a  p)Ower  of  money,   and  I  might  have  been 


TWO   NAKROW   ESCAPES.  95 

chasing  her  yet  if  that  man-of-war  hadn't  hove 
in  sight." 

This  was  all  the  conversation  Marcy  over- 
heard between  Beardsley  and  his  agent,  for 
the  two  drew  oif  on  one  side  and  talked  earn- 
estly in  tones  so  low  that  he  conld  not  catch  a 
word  they  said.  It  was  plain  that  they  came 
to  an  understanding  on  some  point,  for  shortly 
afterward  they  went  into  the  cabin,  and  Marcy 
was  commanded  to  station  himself  at  the  head 
of  the  companion  ladder  and  pass  the  word  for 
the  crew  as  fast  as  their  names  were  called. 
He  could  see  that  the  schooner's  books  and 
papers  had  been  j)laced  upon  the  cabin  table, 
and  that  led  him  to  believe  that  the  reduction 
of  the  crew  was  to  begin  immediately.  When 
the  first  man  who  was  sent  below  came  on  deck 
again  with  his  wages  in  his  hand,  Marcy  whis- 
pered : 

''What  did  the  captain  say  when  he  paid 
you  off «" 

''He  didn't  say  he  was  gallied,"  replied  the 
sailor,  with  a  knowing  look,  "but  I'll  bet  he  is. 
The  booming  of  that  war  ship's  guns  was  too 
much  for  his  nerves,  and  he's  going  to  quit 


96  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE  RUNNER. 

pirating  and  go  to  blockade  running.  I  don' t  see 
but  that  one  is  about  as  dangerous  as  the  other." 
One  by  one  the  members  of  the  crew  were 
sent  into  the  cabin,  and  as  fast  as  they  received 
their  money  and  tlieir  discharges  they  bundled 
up  their  clothes  and  bedding  and  went  ashore. 
At  last  there  were  only  six  foremast  hands  left, 
including  Marcy  Gray,  and  these  were  sum- 
moned into  the  cabin  in  a  body  to  listen  to 
what  Captain  Beardsley  had  to  propose  to 
them.  He  began  with  the  statement  that  pri- 
vateering was  played  out  along  that  coast,  be- 
cause numerous  cruisers  were  making  it  their 
business  to  watch  the  inlets  and  warn  passing 
vessels  to  look  out  for  themselves.  It  was  no 
use  trying  to  catch  big  ships  that  would  not  let 
Mm  come  within  range,  and  so  he  had  decided 
to  put  his  howitzers  ashore,  tear  out  the  berths 
and  gun  decks  fore  and  aft,  and  turn  the  Osprey 
into  a  freighter.  He  would  change  her  name, 
too,  give  her  another  coat  of  paint,  and  take 
the  figures  off  her  sails,  so  that  she  could  not 
be  recognized  from  the  description  the  Hol- 
lins'  s  men  would  give  of  her  Avhen  they  went 
JNTorth. 


T^YO   NARROW  ESCAPES.  97 

''  I  have  kept  you  men  because  you  are  the 
best  in  the  crew,"  said  Beardsley  in  conclusion, 
"  and  of  course  I  want  none  but  good  men  and 
true  aboard  of  me ;  but  you  needn't  stay  if 
you  don't  want  to.  I  want  you  to  understand 
that  blockade  running  is  a  dangerous  business, 
and  that  we  may  be  captured  as  others  have 
been  ;  but  if  you  will  stand  by  me,  I'll  give 
you  five  hundred  dollars  apiece  for  the  run — 
one  hundred  to  si)end  in  IS'assau,  and  the 
balance  when  you  help  me  bring  the  schooner 
safe  back  to  Newbern.     What  do  you  say?" 

The  men  had  evidently  been  exi^ectiiig  some- 
thing of  this  sort,  for  without  a  moment's 
hesitation  Tierney,  speaking  for  his  com- 
panions, replied  that  the  captain' s  liberal  offer 
was  accepted,  and  they  would  do  all  that  men 
could  do  to  make  the  OspreiJ  s  voyages  profit- 
able. Marcy  said  nothing,  for  Beardsley  had 
already  given  him  to  understand  that  he  was 
to  be  one  of  the  blockade-runner's  crew.  He 
was  the  only  native  American  among  the  fore- 
mast hands,  and  the  only  one  who  could  sign 
his  name  to  the  shipping  articles,  the  others 
being  obliged  to  make  their  marks.     When 

7 


98  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

tins  had  been  done  the  men  returned  to  the 
deck,  and  the  agent  went  ashore  to  make 
arrangements  for  landing  the  guns,  to  hunt  up 
a  gang  of  ship  carpenters,  and  find  a  cotton- 
factor  who  was  willing  to  take  his  chances  on 
making  or  losing  a  fortune.  He  worked  to 
such  good  purpose  that  in  less  than  an  hour 
two  parties  of  men  were  busy  on  the  schooner 
— one  with  the  howitzers  and  the  other  with 
the  bunks  below — and  a  broker  was  making  a 
contract  with  Beardsley  for  taking  out  a  cargo 
of  cotton.  When  the  broker  had  gone  ashore 
Beardsley  beckoned  Marcy  to  follow  him  into 
the  cabin. 

^*  The  schooner  owes  you  seventeen  hundred 
dollars  and  better,"  said  he,  as  he  closed  the 
sliding  door  and  pointed  to  a  chair.  "It's  in 
the  bank  ashore,  and  you  can  have  it  whenever 
you  want  it.  Would  you  like  to  take  out  a 
venture?" 

It  was  right  on  the  point  of  Marcy' s  tongue 
to  reply  that  he  would  be  glad  to  do  it ;  but 
lie  checked  himself  in  time,  for  the  thought 
occurred  to  him  that  perhaps  this  was  another 
attempt  on  the  part  of  Captain  Beardsley  to 


TWO   NAREOW  ESCAPES.  99 

find  out  something  about  the  state  of  his 
mother's  finances.  So  he  looked  down  at  the 
carpet  and  said  nothing. 

"There's  money  in  it,"  continued  Beard- 
sley.  "  Suppose  you  take  out  two  bales  of 
cotton,  sell  it  in  Nassau  for  three  times  what 
it  was  worth  a  few  months  ago,  and  invest  the 
proceeds  in  quinine  ;  why,  you'll  make  five 
hundred  percent.  Of  course  I  can't  grant  all 
the  hands  the  same  ]3rivilege,  so  I  will  make 
the  bargain  for  you  through  my  agent,  and 
Tierney  and  the  rest  needn't  know  a  thing 
about.     What  do  you  say?" 

"I  don't  think  I  had  better  risk  it,"  an- 
swered Marcy. 

"  What  for  ? "  asked  Beardsley. 

"Well,  the  money  I've  got  I'm  sure  of,  am 
I  not?" 

"  Course  you  are.  Didn't  I  say  you  could 
have  it  any  minute  you  had  a  mind  to  call 
for  it?" 

"  You  did  ;  but  suppose  I  should  put  it  into 
cotton,  as  you  suggest,  and  the  Osprey  should 
fall  into  the  hands  of  one  of  those  war  ships 
outside.     There' d  be  all  my  money  gone  to  the 


100  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

dogs,  or,  what  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  into 
the  hands  of  the  Yankees.  I  may  want  to  use 
that  money  before  the  w^ar  is  over." 

"  But  didn't  you  hear  the  agent  say  that  we 
ain't  going  to  have  any  war  ?  We've  licked 
'em  before  they  could  take  their  coats  off." 

"But  perhai^s  they'll  not  stay  whipped. 
My  teachers  at  the  academy  were  pretty  well 
posted,  and  I  heard  some  of  them  say  that 
a  war  is  surely  coming,  and  in  the  end  the 
Southern  States  will  wish  they  had  never 
seceded." 

"  Well,  them  teachers  of  yourn  was  the  big- 
gest fules  I  ever  heard  tell  of,"  exclaimed 
Beardsley,  settling  back  in  his  chair  and  slam- 
ming a  ]3aper-weight  down  upon  the  table. 
"Why,  don't  I  tell  you  that  we've  got  'em 
licked  already?  More'n  that,  I  don't  mean  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  them  cruisers  outside. 
I  tell  you  that  you'll  miss  it  if  you  don't  take 
out  a  venture.  And  as  for  your  mother  need- 
ing them  seventeen  hundred  dollars  to  buy 
grub  and  the  like,  you  can't  XDull  the  wool 
over  my  eyes  in  no  such  way  as  that.  She's  got 
money  by  the  bushel,  and  I  know  it  to  be  a  fact." 


TWO   NARROW   ESCAPES.  101 

"Then  you  know  more  tlian  I  do,"  replied 
Marcy,  his  eyes  never  dropping  for  an  instant 
under  the  searching  gaze  the  captain  fixed 
upon  him.  "Now,  I  would  like  to  ask  you 
one  question :  You  have  money  enough  of 
your  own  to  load  this  vessel,  have  you  not? " 

"  Why,  of  course  I — that's  neither  here  nor 
there,"  replied  Beardsley,  who  was  not  sharj) 
enough  to  keep  out  of  the  trap  that  Marcy 
had  placed  for  him.     "  What  of  it  ? " 

"  I  know  it  to  be  a  fact  that  you  could  load 
the  schooner  with  cotton  purchased  with  your 
own  money  if  you  felt  like  it,"  answered  the 
young  pilot,  "but  you  don't  mean  to  do  it. 
You  would  rather  carry  cotton  belonging  to 
somebody  else,  and  that  is  all  the  proof  I  want 
that  you  are  afraid  of  the  Yankees.  If  you 
want  to  do  the  fair  thing  by  me,  why  do  you 
advise  me  to  put  my  money  into  a  venture, 
when  you  are  afraid  to  put  in  a  dollar  for 
yourself  ? " 

"Why,  man  alive,"  Beardsley  almost 
shouted,  "don't  I  risk  my  schooner  ?  Every 
nigger  I've  got  was  paid  for  with  money  she 
made  for  me  by  carrjdng  cigars  and  such  like 
between  Havana  and  Baltimore." 


102  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNEK. 

"That's  what  I  thouglit,"  said  Marcy,  to 
himself.  "And  you  didn't  pay  a  cent  of 
duty  on  those  cigars,  either." 

"  I  do  my  share  by  risking  my  schooner," 
continued  the  captain.  "But  I  want  some- 
body to  make  something  besides  myself,  and 
if  you  don't  want  to  risk  your  mone}^,  I 
reckon  I'll  give  the  mates  a  chance.  That's 
all." 

"What  in  the  name  of  sense  did  I  go  and 
speak  to  him  about  them  cigars  for?"  he 
added,  mentally,  as  the  pilot  ascended  the 
ladder  that  led  to  the  deck.  "  I  think  myself 
that  there's  a  war  coming,  and  if  we  get 
licked  I  must  either  make  a  fast  friend  of 
that  boy  or  get  rid  of  him  ;  for  if  he  tells  on 
me  I'll  get  into  trouble  sure." 

It  looked  now  as  though  Marcy  might  some 
day  have  it  in  his  i)ower  to  make  things  very 
unpleasant  for  Captain  Beardsley. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A    CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS. 


(( 


I 


REALLY  believe  I'  ve  got  a  hold  on  the 
old  rascal  at  last,"  said  Marcy  to  him- 
self, as  he  leaned  against  the  rail  and  watched 
the  men,  who,  under  direction  of  the  mates, 
were  hard  at  work  getting  the  howitzers 
ashore.  "From  this  time  on  he  had  better 
be  careful  how  he  treats  my  mother,  for  lie 
mav  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Yankees  some 
day;  and  if  that  ever  hai)pens,  I  will  take 
pains  to  see  that  he  doesn't  get  back  to  Nash- 
ville in  a  hurry.  I'll  go  any  lengths  to  get  a 
letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  telling 
him  just  who  and  vvhat  Beardsley  is,  and  then 
perhaps  he  will  stand  a  chance  of  being  tried 
for  something  besides    piracy  and    blockade 


running." 


Marcy' s  first  care  was  to  write  to  his  mother. 
While  omitting  no  item  of  news,  he  took  pains 
to  word  the  letter  so  cautiously  that  it  could 

103 


104  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

not  be  used  against  him  in  case  some  of  his 
secret  enemies  in  and  around  Nashville,  the 
postmaster  and  Colonel  Shelby,  for  instance, 
took  it  into  their  heads  to  ox)en  and  read  it  in- 
stead of  sending  it  to  its  address.  They  had 
showed  him  that  they  were  quite  mean  enough 
to  do  it.  Then  he  went  ashore  to  mail  the  let- 
ter and  take  notes,  and  was  not  long  in  making 
up  his  mind  that  he  was  not  the  only  one  who 
thought  there  was  going  to  be  a  war.  Al- 
though the  Newbern  people  w^ere  very  jubilant 
over  the  great  victory  at  Bull  Run,  they  did  not 
act  as  though  they  thought  that  that  was  the  last 
battle  tliev  would  have  to  fight  before  their  inde- 
pendence  would  be  acknowledged,  for  Marcy 
saw  infantry  companies  marching  and  drilling 
in  almost  every  street  through  which  he  passed, 
and  every  other  man  and  boy  he  met  was 
dressed  in  uniform.  As  he  drew  near  to  the 
post-office  he  ran  against  a  couple  of  young 
soldiers  about  his  own  age,  or,  to  be  more  ex- 
act, they  ran  against  him  ;  for  they  were  com- 
ing along  Avitli  their  arms  locked,  talking  so 
loudly  that  they  could  have  been  heard  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  when  the  Os- 


A   CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS.  105 

IDreif  s  jpilot  turned  out  to  let  tliem  pass,  tliey 
tried  to  crowd  him  off  into  the  gutter.  But 
Marcy,  beside  being  a  sturdy  fellow,  knew 
how  to  stand  up  for  his  rights.  He  braced  his 
foot  firmly  against  the  curbstone  and  met  the 
shock  of  the  collision  so  vigorously  that  those 
who  would  have  sent  him  headlong  into  the 
street  were  sent  backward  themselves,  and 
came  very  near  going  head  first  down  the 
stairs  that  led  into  a  basement  restaurant. 

"  Don't. you  think  I  ought  to  have  a  little  of 
this  sidewalk?"  he  asked  good-naturedly,  as 
the  two  straightened  ujd  and  faced  him  with 
clenched  hands  and  flashing  eyes. 

"Then  put  on  a  uniform  and  you  can  have 
as  much  of  it  as  you  want,"  said  one,  in  rej)ly. 

"  How^  long  have  you  had  those  good  clothes 
of  yours  ?  "  inquired  Marcy.  "  Were  thej^  in 
the  fight  at  Bull  Run?" 

"Of  course  not.  We  only  enlisted  a  w^eek 
ago,  but  w^e  show  our  good  will  and  you 
don't." 

"Then  you  have  never  smelled  pow^ler  or 
heard  the  noise  of  the  enemy's  o'uns?" 

"It  isn't  likely,  for  there's  been  no  fi^htino: 


100  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-IIUNNER. 

around  here,"  said  the  same  speaker,  who  be- 
gan to  wonder  if  he  and  his  comi)anions  hadn'  t 
made  a  mistake. 

"Then  go  and  get  some  exi:)erience  before 
you  take  it  upon  yourselves  to  shove  a  veteran 
into  the  ditch,"  said  Marcy  loftily.  "Fve 
been  in  the  service  ever  since  President  Davis 
issued  his  call  for  i^rivateers.  You've  heard  of 
the  Osp7^ey,  haven^t  joul  Well,  I  belong  to 
her." 

"  Is  that  so  ?  "  exclaimed  the  other,  extend- 
ing his  hand,  which  the  x3ilot  was  promj^t  to 
accept.  "  I  am  sorry  we  insulted  you  and  beg 
your  pardon  for  it.  But  you  ought  to  wear 
something  to  show  who  you  are,  for  the  folks 
around  here  don't  think  much  of  citizens  un- 
less they  have  declared  their  intention  of  enlist- 
ing as  soon  as  they  can  get  their  affairs  in 
shape." 

"I  knew  why  you  bumped  up  against  me, 
and  that  Avas  the  reason  I  didn'  fc  get  mad  at 
it,"  answered  Marcy.  "  You  don't  seem  to 
have  much  to  do  ;  and  if  you  will  walk  up  to 
the  post-office  with  me,  I'll  show  you  over  the 
Osjyrey,  if  you  would  like  to  take  a  look  at 


A   CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS.  107 

lier.  But  we'll  have  to  be  in  a  hurry  if  we 
want  to  see  her  with  the  guns  aboard,  for  she 
is  being  changed  into  a  blockade-runner." 

"  Ah  !  That's  the  money-making  business," 
said  one  of  the  recruits  with  enthusiasm.  "  I 
wish  I  knew  something  about  boats,  so  that  I 
could  go  into  it  myself.  What  wages  do  you 
get?" 

"  Five  hundred  dollars  for  the  run  to  Nassau 
and  back." 

The  eyes  of  Marcy's  new  friends  grew  to 
twice  their  usual  size.  They  looked  hard  at 
him  to  see  if  he  was  really  in  earnest,  and  then 
whistled  in  concert. 

*'It's  worth  it,"  continued  Marcy,  "and  I 
don't  believe  you  could  get  men  to  go  into  it 
for  less.  From  the  time  we  leave  the  protec- 
tion of  the  forts  at  Hatteras  to  the  time  we  get 
back,  we  shall  be  in  constant  fear  of  caj^ture. 
We  know  something  of  the  dangers  of  the  busi- 
ness, for  we  had  two  narrow  escapes  during  our 
last  cruise." 

Of  course  the  recruits  wanted  to  know  all 
about  it,  and  as  they  faced  around  and  walked 
with  him,  Marcy  gave  them  a  short  history  of 


108  MARCY,  THE   ELOCKADE-RUNNER. 

* 

what  the  schooner  liad  done  since  she  went 
into  commission.  When  he  told  how  neatly 
that  Yankee  brig  had  slipped  througli  Captain 
Beardsley's  fingers,  liis  companions  looked  at 
him  in  surprise. 

"  What  a  pity,"  said  one.  "And  yet  you 
talk  as  if  you  were  glad  of  it." 

'  'I  talk  as  if  it  was  a  brave  and  skilful  act,  and 
so  it  was,"  answered  Marcy.  "  You  would  say 
the  same  if  you  had  been  there  and  seen  it  done." 

"No,  I  wouldn't.  The  Yankees  are  not 
brave  and  skilful,  and  they  can't  do  anything 
to  make  me  think  they  are.  How  will  they 
feel  when  they  see  our  President  sitting  in  tlie 
White  House,  dictating  terms  of  peace  to  them  ? 
I  hope  our  company  will  be  tliere  to  witness 
the  ceremony." 

This  was  a  point  Marcy  did  not  care  to  dis- 
cuss with  the  two  recruits,  for  fear  he  miglit 
say  something  to  arouse  in  their  minds  a 
suspicion  that  lie  was  not  intensely  loyal  to 
the  Confederacy,  even  if  lie  did  sail  under 
its  flag ;  so  he  inquired  if  there  w^ere  any- 
thing else  but  drilling  and  marching  going 
on    in   Newbern. 


A   CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS.  109 


u 


Not  much  else  in  the  city,"  rex)lied  one 
of  the  young  soldiers.  "But  there's  a  heap 
going  on  about  five  miles  below.  There's  a 
corps  of  engineers  down  there  laying  out 
a  system  of  fortifications  which  are  to  be 
a  mile  long.  It  will  take  eight  or  nine  thou- 
sand men  to  garrison  them,  and  they  will 
be  defended  by  thirty-one  guns." 

"  But  I  don't  see  any  sense  in  it,"  said  the 
other,  who  seemed  to  think  he  had  learned 
considerable  of  the  art  of  war  since  he  put 
on  his  gray  jacket.  "A  Yankee  army  will 
never  come  so  far  south  as  Newbern,  and  their 
gunboats  can't  get  past  the  forts  at  Hatteras." 

But,  all  the  same,  the  Confederate  authori- 
ties thought  the  works  ought  to  be  pushed  to 
completion,  and  so  they  were  ;  but  they  did 
not  amount  to  much,  for  Burnside's  troops  cap- 
tured them  after  a  four  hours'  fight,  with  the 
loss  of  only  ninety-one  men  killed,  the  garrison 
retreating  to  Newbern  and  taking  the  cars  for 
Goldsborough.  When  Marcy  heard  of  it  a  few 
months  later,  he  wondered  if  his  new  acquain- 
tances were  in  the  fight,  and  if  they  still  held  to 
the  opinion  that  the  Yankees  were  not  brave. 


110       MARCY,  THE  blockade-ku:n^ner. 

After  leaving  the  post-office  they  spent  an 
liour  on  board  the  Osprey^  and  parted  at  last 
well  pleased  with  the  result  of  their  meeting, 
and  fully  satisfied  in  their  own  minds  that  the 
Yankees  had  been  so  badly  whipped  at  Bull 
Run  that  they  would  never  dare  face  the  Con- 
federate soldiers  again.  At  least  the  two  re- 
cruits were  satisfied  of  it ;  but  Marcy  thought 
he  knew  better. 

On  the  morning  of  the  next  day  but  one,  a 

tug  came  alongside  and  towed  the  schooner  up 
to  a  warehouse,  where  there  was  a  load  of  cot- 
ton waiting  for  her  ;  and  for  want  of  something 
better  to  do,  Marcy  hunted  up  a  cotton-hook 
and  assisted  in  rolling  the  heavy  bales  on  board. 
The  little  vessel  was  so  changed  in  appearance 
that  a  landsman  would  hardly  have  recognized 
her.  The  treacherous  figure  *'9,"  which 
Beardsley  had  caused  to  be  painted  on  her 
sails,  in  the  hope  that  merchant  vessels  would 
take  her  for  a  harmless  pilot-boat,  was  not  to 
be  seen  ;  all  the  black  paint  about  her,  from 
the  heel  of  her  bowsprit  to  the  crosstrees,  had 
given  place  to  a  bluish-white  ;  and  on  both 
sides  of  her  bow  and    over  her    cabin  door 


A   CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS.  Ill 

the  name  Hattie  appeared  in  large  gilt  let- 
ters. 

"Now,  when  them  Holllns  men  get  home 
and  try  to  give  the  war  ships  a  description  of 
the  privateer  that  captured  them,  they  Avill 
be  mighty  apt  to  shoot  wide  of  the  mark,  won't 
they  % "  said  Captain  Beardsley,  who  was  mnch 
pleased  ^yitll  the  Avork  the  painters  had  done 
nnder  his  instructions.  "  There  ain't  the  first 
thing  aboard  of  us  to  show  that  we  used  to  be 
engaged  in  the  i^rivateering  business.  Oh, 
I'm  a  sharp  one,  and  it  takes  something  besides 
a  Yankee  to  get  the  start  of  me." 

Beardsley  was  so  impatient  to  get  to  sea,  and 
so  very  anxious  to  handle  the  fortune  he  was 
sure  he  Avas  going  to  make  by  his  first  attempt 
at  blockade  running,  that  he  employed  all  the 
men  that  could  be  worked  to  advantage,  and 
took  on  board  every  bale  he  could  i:)ossibly 
find  room  for.  The  deck  load  was  so  large 
that  it  threatened  to  interfere  with  the  hand- 
ling of  the  sails !  and  when  a  tug  i:)ulled  the 
schooner's  head  around  till  it  pointed  down 
the  river,  she  set  so  low  in  the  water  that  she 
could  not  show  her  usual  speed,  even  with  the 


112  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

tide  in  her  favor,  and  Tierney  said  in  Marcy's 
hearing  that  he  believed  he  coukl  hoist  a  sail 
in  a  washing-tub  and  reach  Nassau  before  the 
schooner  could  leave  the  sand  dunes  of  Hat- 
teras  out  of  sight.  But  the  captain  did  not 
seem  to  think  he  had  made  any  mistake  in  load- 
ing his  vessel,  although  he  did  show  some 
anxiety  for  her  safety  ;  for  when  she  reached 
Crooked  Inlet  he  walked  aft  and  took  charge 
of  the  wheel  himself,  and  without  saying  one 
word  to  the  young  fellow  whom  he  called  his 
pilot,  until  he  saw  the  latter  looking  at  him  as 
if  he  wanted  to  know  what  Beardsley  meant 
by  such  work. 

"There,  now,"  said  the  cax)tain,  by  way  of 
explanation,  "  I  thought  you  was  below;  I  did 
for  a  fact.  And  so  I  said  to  myself  that  I 
wouldn't  bother  you,  but  would  try  and  take 
her  through  without  your  helj),  just  to  see  if 
I  could  do  it,  you  know.  Sui)posing  you  was 
the  only  one  aboard  who  knew  the  channel, 
and  something  should  happen  to  you,  and  I 
should  want  to  come  through  here  in  a  hurry 
to  get  out  of  the  way  of  a  war  ship  that  was 
close  in  my  wake  ;  wouldn't  I  be  in  a  'pvettj 


A   CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS.  113 

^-K'i  'Now  stand  by,  so  't  you  can  give  nie  a 
word  in  case  I  don't  hold  her  just  right." 

"  You  old  hypocrite,"  thought  Marcy.  "  If 
that  was  the  first  lie  you  ever  told  it  would 
choke  you.  So  he  thinks  something  is  going 
to  hapi)en  to  me,  does  he  ?  Now  what  does  he 
mean  by  that  1 " 

Captain  Beardsley  had  done  nothing  more 
than  Marcy  expected  him  to  do,  but  he  did 
not  have  a  word  of  fault  to  find  with  it,  as  a 
regular  pilot  would  have  done  when  he  saw  his 
business  taken  out  of  his  hands  in  so  uncere- 
monious a  fashion.  If  the  ski^oper  was  will- 
ing to  i^ay  him  five  hundred  dollars  for  doing 
nothing,  the  boy  didn't  think  he  ought  to 
complain.  He  took  his  stand  close  by  the 
captain's  side,  but  he  did  not  touch  the  wheel, 
nor  did  he  so  much  as  look  at  the  black  and 
red  buoys  that  marked  the  channel.  He  was 
turning  these  words  over  in  his  mind  :  "  Sup- 
pose something  should  hajipen  to  you!" 
Was  he  to  understand  that  Beardslev  had 
made  up  his  mind  to  get  rid  of  him  in  some 
Avay  ? 

"If  that  is  what  he  wants,  why  didn't  he 
8 


114  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


J 


pay  me  off  while  we  were  in  Newbern  ?  "  w^as 
the  question  Marcy  asked  himself.  "But  for 
some  reason  or  other  it  doesn't  suit  him  to 
have  me  at  home  with  mother ;  and  that 
makes  me  think  that  there's  going  to  be  an 
attempt  made  to  steal  the  money  she  has  hid- 
den in  the  cellar  wall.  Oh,  how  I  wish  Jack 
w^as  at  home." 

When  the  schooner  was  clear  of  the  Inlet, 
Beardsley  gave  the  boy  a  wink  as  if  to  say,  "  I 
did  take  her  through,  didn't  I  ?  "  held  a  short 
consultation  wdtli  the  mates,  during  wdiicli  the 
course  was  determined  upon,  then  mounted  to 
the  cross  trees  with  his  glass  in  his  hand  ;  and 
after  sweex)ing  it  around  the  horizon,  gave  the 
cheering  information  to  those  below  that  there 
was  nothing  in  sight.  But  there  was  some- 
thing in  sight  a  few  hours  later — something 
that  put  Beardsley  in  such  a  rage  that  he  did 
not  get  over  it  for  a  day  or  two.  It  w^as  a 
schooner  a  little  larger  than  his  own,  and  she 
was  standing  directly  across  the  Ilattie' s  bows. 
She  did  not  show  any  disposition  to  "  dodge" 
as  the  brig  had  done,  but  held  straight  on  her 
course,  and  this  made  Captain  Beardsley  sus- 


A    CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS.  115 

pect  that  there  might  be  a  cruiser  following  in 
her  wake  to  see  that  she  did  not  get  into  trou- 
ble. But  if  there  was,  his  glass  failed  to 
reveal  the  fact,  and  this  suggested  an  idea  to 
him.  When  the  stranger's  topsails  could  be 
seen  from  the  Haiti t' s  deck  he  shouted  down 
to  his  mate  : 

^'Say,  Morgan,  I'll  tell  you  what's  the  mat- 
ter with  that  fellow.  He  don't  know  that 
there' s  such  things  as  privateers  afloat,  and  he 
ain't  seen  nary  cruiser  to  w^arn  him.     That's 

why  he  don't  sheer  off." 

''I  reckon  3'ou're  right,  cap'n,"  replied  the 

mate.     "It's  plain  that  he  ain't  afraid  of  us." 

"Well,  if  I  am  right,"  continued  Beardsley, 

"it  i^roves   that  the   w^ar  ships   off  Hatteras 

have  went  off  somewheres,  and  that  the  coast 

beloAv  is  all  clear  ;  don't  you  think  so  ?    What 

do  you  say  if  w^e  make  a  straight  run  for  our 

port  ?    We'll  save  more  than  a  week  by  it." 

"I'm  agreeable,"  answered  the  mate,  wdio, 

upon  receiving  a  nod  from  the  captain,  gave 

the  necessary  orders,  and  in  a  few-  minutes  the 

Hattie  was  close-hauled  and  running  in  such 

a  direction  that  if  the  two  vessels  held  on  their 


116  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

way,  they  would  pass  almost  within  liailing 
distance  of  each  other.  Of  course  the  cai)tain 
of  the  stranger  must  have  witnessed  this  ma- 
noeuvre, but  he  did  not  seem  to  be  surprised  or 
troubled  by  it ;  for  he  kej^t  straight  on  and  in 
another  hour  dashed  by  within  less  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  Captain  Beardsley,  who 
lifted  his  hat  and  waved  it  to  a  small  party  of 
men,  her  officers  probably,  who  were  standing 
on  her  quarter  deck.  In  response  to  the  salu- 
tation the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  hoisted  at 
her  peak. 

''If  she  had  done  that  three  weeks  ago 
w^ouldn't  I  have  brought  that  flag  down  with  a 
jerk?"  exclaimed  Beardsley  angrily.  "Did 
anybody  ever  hear  of  such  luck ?  Why  didn't 
she  show  up  when  we  had  them  howitzers 
aboard?  They  don't  know  what  to  make  of 
us,  for  I  can  see  two  fellows  with  glasses 
pointed  at  us  all  the  time.  Run  wp  that  Yan- 
kee flag,  Marcy." 

The  latter  was  prompt  to  obey  the  order, 
and  he  was  quite  willing  to  do  it,  since  it  was 
not  in  Beardsley' s  i)ower  to  do  any  harm  to 
the  handsome  stranger.     After  being  allowed 


A   CAT   WITHOUT   CLAWS.  117 

to  float  for  a  few  minutes  tlie  two  flags  were 
liauJed  down  and  stowed  away  in  their  respec- 
tive chests,  and  the  little  vessels  parted  com- 
pany without  either  one  knowing  who  the 
other  was.  But  there  was  an  angry  lot  of  men 
on  board  the  Haiti e.  Beard sley  showed  that 
he  was  one  of  them  by  the  hard  words  he  used 
when  he  came  down  from  aloft  and  sent  a 
lookout  up  to  take  his  place,  and  Tierney, 
after  shaking  his  fist  at  the  Yankee,  shut  one 
eye,  glanced  along  the  rail  with  the  other,  as 
he  had  glanced  through  the  sights  of  the  how- 
itzer he  once  commanded,  and  then  jerked 
back  his  right  hand  as  if  he  were  pulling  a 
lock- string.  Marcy  Gray  was  the  only  one 
aboard  who  carried  a  light  heart. 

After  the  schooner's  course  was  changed 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  suppressed  excite- 
ment among  the  crew,  for  Captain  Beards- 
ley  was  about  to  take  what  some  of  them 
thought  to  be  *  a  desperate  risk.  Probably 
there  were  no  cruisers  off  Hatteras  when  that 
merchant  vessel  passed,  but  that  was  all  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  hours  ago,  and  they  had  had 
plenty  of  time  to  get  back  to  their  stations. 


lis  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

So  a  bright  lookout  was  kej^t  by  all  liands, 
and  Beardsley  or  one  of  the  mates  went  aloft 
every  few  minutes  to  take  a  peep  through  the 
ghiss.  Marcy  thought  there  was  good  cause 
for  watchfulness  and  anxiety.  In  the  first 
place,  the  Bahama  Islands,  of  which  Nassau, 
in  the  Island  of  New  Providence,  was  the  prin- 
cipal port,  lay  off  the  coast  of  Florida,  and 
about  five  hundred  miles  southeast  of  Charles- 
ton. They  must  have  been  at  least  twice  as 
far  from  Crooked  Inlet,  so  that  Captain  Beard- 
sley, by  selecting  Newbern  as  his  home  port, 
ran  twice  the  risk  of  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  Federal  cruisers  that  he  would  if  he  had 
decided  to  run  his  contraband  cargo  into 
Savannah  or  Charleston. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  the  old  man  ought  to 
have  learned  wisdom  after  living  for  so  many 
years  in  defiance  of  the  law,"  thought  Marcy, 
when  it  came  his  turn  to  go  aloft  and  relieve 
the  lookout.  ''Of  course  a  smuggler  has  to 
take  his  chances  with  the  revenue  cutters  he  is 
liable  to  meet  along  the  coast,  as  well  as  with 
the  Custom  House  authorities,  and  I  should 
think  that  constant  fear  of  capture  w^ould  have 


A   CAT    WITHOUT   CLAWS.  119 

made  him  sly  and  cautious  ;  but  it  liasn't." — 
"Nothing  insight,  sir/'  he  said,  in  answer  to  an 
inquiry  from  the  officer  who  had  charge  of  the 
deck. 

And  this  was  the  report  that  was  sent  down 
by  every  lookout  who  went  aloft  during  the 
next  four  days  ;  and  what  a  time  of  excite- 
ment and  suspense  that  was  for  Marcy  Gray 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  Uattie'^s'  crew.  Per- 
haps there  was  not  so  much  danger  of  being 
run  down  at  night  by  some  heavy  vessel  as 
there  would  have  been  a  few  months  before, 
but  Marcy' s  nerves  thrilled  with  aj^prehension 
when  he  stood  holding  fast  to  the  rail  during 
the  lonely  mid-watch,  and  the  schooner,  with 
the  spray  dashing  wildly  about  her  bows  and 
everything  drawing,  was  running  before  a 
strong  wind  through  darkness  so  black  that 
her  flying-jib-boom  could  not  be  seen,  and 
there  was  no  light  on  board  except  the  one  in 
the  binnacle. 

"I  know  it's  dangerous  and  I  don't  like  it 
any  better  than  you  do,"  Beardsley  said  to 
him  one  night.  "But  think  of  the  money 
there  is  in  it,  and  what  a  fule  you  were  for  not 


120  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNEK. 


taking  out  a  venture  when  I  gave  you  the 
chance.  I  bought  four  bales  apiece  for  the 
mates,  and  they  will  pocket  the  money  that 
you  might  have  had  just  as  well  as  not." 

"But  I  want  to  use  my  seventeen  hundred 
dollars,"  replied  Marcy  ;  and  so  he  did.  He 
still  clung  to  the  hope  that  he  might  some  day 
have  an  opportunity  to  return  it  to  the  master 
of  the  Holllns,  and  that  was  the  reason  he  was 
unwilling  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  it. 

"  Go  and  tell  that  to  the  marines,"  said  Cap- 
tain Beardsley  impatiently.  "They'll  believe 
anything,  but  I  won't.  You  don't  need  it; 
your  folks  don't,  and  I  know  it.  Keep  a 
bright  lookout  for  lights,  hold  a  stiff  upper 
lip,  and  I  will  take  you  safely  through." 

And  so  he  did.  Not  only  were  tlie  Federal 
war  ships  accommodating  enough  to  keep  out 
of  the  way,  but  the  elements  were  in  good  hu- 
mor also.  The  schooner  had  a  fair  wind  dur- 
ing the  whole  of  her  perilous  journey,  and  in 
due  time  it  wafted  her  into  the  port  of  Nassau. 
Although  Marcy  Gray  had  never  been  there 
before,  he  had  heard  and  read  of  New  Provi- 
dence as    a  barren    rock,    with   scarcely  soil 


A   CAT   WITHOUT    CLAWS.  121 

enough  to  i3roduce  a  few  x^ineapi^les  and 
oranges,  and  of  Nassau  as  a  place  of  no  con- 
sequence whatever  so  far  as  commerce  was  con- 
cerned. It  boasted  a  small  sponge  trade,  ex- 
ported some  green  turtles  and  conch-shells,  and 
was  the  home  of  a  few  fisherman  and  wreckers  ; 
this  was  all  Marcy  thought  there  was  of 
Nassau,  and  consequently  his  surprise  was 
great  when  he  found  himself  looking  out  upon 
the  wharves  of  a  thriving,  bustling  little  town. 
The  slave-holders'  rebellion,  "which  brought 
woe  and  wretchedness  to  so  many  of  our  States, 
was  the  wind  that  blew  prosperity  to  Nassau." 
When  President  Lincoln's  proclamation,  an- 
nouncing the  blockade  of  all  the  Confederate 
ports  was  issued,  Nassau  took  on  an  air  of 
business  and  importance,  and  at  once  became 
the  favorite  resort  of  vessels  engaged  in  contra- 
band trade.  There  were  Northern  men  there 
too,  and  Northern  vessels  as  well ;  for,  to  quote 
from  the  historian,  "The  Yankee,  in  obedience 
to  his  instincts  of  traffic,  scented  the  prey  from 
afar,  and  went  there  to  turn  an  honest  penny 
by  assisting  the  Confederates  to  run  the  block- 
ade."    The  supplies  which   the  Confederates 


122  MAllCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-IIUNNER. 


had  alwa^^s  purchased  in  the  North,  and  of 
wliich  they  already  began  to  stand  in  need, 
were  shipped  from  EuroiDe  in  neutral  vessels  ; 
and  being  consigned  to  a  neutral  i:>ort  (for  Nas- 
sau belonged  to  England),  they  were  in  no  dan- 
ger of  being  captured  by  our  war  ships  during 
the  long  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  It  was 
when  these  supplies  were  taken  from  the 
wharves  and  placed  in  the  holds  of  vessels  like 
the  Hattie  that  the  trouble  began,  and  men  like 
Captain  Beardsley  ran  all  the  risk  and  reaped 
the  lion's  share  of  the  profits.  Almost  the  first 
thing  that  drew  Marcy's  attention  was  the 
sight  of  a  Union  and  Confederate  flag  floating 
within  a  few  rods  of  each  other. 

"  What's  the  meaning  of  thati"  he  asked  of 
Beardsley,  as  soon  as  he  found  opportunity  to 
speak  to  him.  "We  don' town  this  town,  do  we?" 

"  No  ;  but  we've  got  a  Consulate  here,"  was 
the  reply.  "  I  don't  know's  I  understand  just 
what  that  means,  but  it's  some  sort  of  an 
officer  that  our  government  has  sent  here  to 
look  out  for  our  interests.  If  a  man  wants  to 
go  from  here  to  our  country,  he  must  go  to 
that  Consulate  and  get  a  pass  before  any  block- 


A   CAT    WITHOUT   CLAWS.  123 

ade-riinner  will  take  liim.  Now  don't  yon 
wish  YOU  had  took  mv  advice  and  brought  out 
a  venture?" 

"It's  too  late  to  think  of  that  now,"  an- 
swered Marcy.  "And  your  own  profits  are 
not  safe  yet.  It  must  be  all  of  a  thousand 
miles  from  here  to  Newbern,  and  perhaps  we'll 
not  have  as  good  luck  going  as  we  did  coming. 
I  am  to  have  a  hundred  dollars  to  spend  here, 
am  I  not  ?" 

"Course.  That's  what  I  promised  before 
you  and  the  rest  signed  articles.  I'll  give  it 
to  you  the  minute  this  cotton  is  got  ashore  and 
paid  for.     What  you  going  to  do  with  it  ? " 

"I  thought  I  would  invest  it  in  medicine." 

"Your  head's  level.  You  couldn't  make 
bigger  money  on  anything  else." 

"And  as  it  is  my  own  money  and  the  captain 
of  the  Hollins  has  no  interest  in  it,  I  shall  feel 
quite  at  liberty  to  spend  it  as  I  choose,"  solilo- 
quized Marcy,  as  the  captain  turned  away  to 
meet  the  representative  of  the  English  house 
to  which  his  cargo  of  cotton  was  consigned. 
"Besides,  I  must  keep  up  apx)earances,  or  I'll 
get  into  trouble." 


124  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUN^fER. 


5 


Turn  to,  all  hands,  and  get  oft  the  hatches," 
shouted  one  of  the  mates.  "Lively  now,  for 
the  sooner  we  start  back  the  sooner  we'll  get 
there." 

Marcy  did  not  know  whether  or  not  he 
was  included  in  this  order  addressed  to  "  all 
hands,"  but  as  the  officer  looked  hard  at  him 
he  concluded  he  was.  At  any  rate  he  was  will- 
ing to  work,  if  for  no  other  jDurpose  than  to 
keep  him  from  thinking.  Somehow  he  did  not 
like  to  have  his  mind  dwell  upon  the  homeward 
run. 


CHAPTER  YL 

RUNNING   THE   BLOCKADE. 

rriHE  gang  of  'longslioremen,  wliicli  was 
JL  quickly  sent  on  board  the  Hattie  by  the 
Englishman  to  whom  we  referred  in  the  last 
chax)ter,  worked  to  such  good  purpose  that  in 
just  forty-eight  hours  from  the  time  her  lines 
were  made  fast  to  the  wharf,  the  blockade- 
runner  was  ready  for  her  return  trip.  Mean- 
w^hile  Marcy  Gray  and  the  rest  of  the  crew 
had  little  to  do  but  roam  about  the  town, 
spending  their  money  and  mingling  with  the 
citizens,  the  most  of  whom  were  as  good  Con- 
federates as  could  have  been  found  anywhere 
in  the  Southern  States.  Marcy  afterward  told 
his  mother  that  if  there  were  any  Union  peoi3le 
on  the  island  they  lived  in  the  American  Con- 
sulate, from  whose  roof  floated  the  Stars  and 
Stripes.  Marcy  was  both  astonished  and 
shocked  to  find  that  nearly  every  one  Avith 
whom  he  conversed  believed  that  the  Union 

125 


126  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

was  already  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  that  the  re- 
bellious States  never  could  be  whipped.  One 
daj^  he  spoke  to  Beardsley  about  it,  while  the 
latter  was  i^acing  his  quarter-deck  smoking 
his  after-dinner  cigar. 

"  If  those  English  sailors  I  was  talking  witli 
a  little  while  ago  are  so  very  anxious  to  see 
the  Union  destroyed,  I  don't  see  why  they  don't 
ship  under  the  Confederate  flag,"  said  he. 
"  But  Avhat  has  England  got  against  the 
United  States,  anyway?" 

"Man  alive,  she's  got  everything  against 
'em,"  rep)lied  the  captain,  in  a  sur|)rised  tone. 
"Didn't  they  lick  old  England  twice,  and 
ain't  the  Yankee  flag  the  only  one  to  which 
a  British  armv  ever  surrendered  ?  You're 
mighty  right.  She'd  be  glad  to  see  the  old 
Union  busted  into  a  million  pieces  ;  but  she's 
too  big  a  coward  to  come  out  and  help  us  open 
and  above  board,  and  so  she's  helping  on  the 
sly.  I  wish  the  Yankees  would  do  something 
to  madden  her,  but  they're  too  sharp.  They 
have  give  up  the  Herald — the  brig  I  was  tell- 
ing you  about  that  sailed  from  Wilmington 
just  before  you  came  back  from  your  furlong. 


RUNNING   THE   BLOCKADE.  127 

She  was  a  Britisher,  yon  know,  and  a  warship 
took  her  prisoner  ;  bnt  the  conrts  allowed  that 
Wilmington  wasn't  blockaded  at  all,  except  on 
paper,  and  ordered  her  to  be  released.  I  only 
wish  the  Yankees  had  had  the  j)lnck  to  hold 
fast  to  her." 

Marcy's  thonghts  had  often  reverted  to 
the  captnre  of  the  brig  Herald  and  to  Captain 
Beardsley's  exi3ressed  wish  that  the  act  might 
lead  to  an  open  rnptnre  between  the  United 
States  and  England,  and  he  was  glad  to  learn 
that  there  was  to  be  no  tronble  on  that 
score.  But  England  could  not  long  keep  her 
meddlesome  fingers  out  of  our  pie.  She  did 
all  she  dared  to  aid  the  Confederacy,  and  when 
the  war  was  ended,  had  the  fun  of  handing 
over  a  good  many  millions  of  dollars  to  i^ay 
for  the  American  vessels  that  British  built  and 
British  armed  steamers  had  destroyed  \x\}0\\  the 
high  seas. 

"  I  saw  you  bring  aboard  some  little  bundles 
a  while  ago,"  continued  Beardsley.  "What 
was  in  '  em  % ' ' 

"One  of  them  contained  two  woolen  dresses 
I  bought  for  mother,  and  in  the  others  there 


128  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

was    notliing    but    medicine,"     said    Marcy. 
"  Woolen  goods  will  be  worth  money  by  and 

bv." 

•/ 

"Oh,  yes;  they'll  run  up  a  little.  Things 
always  do  in  war  times.  The  money  them 
medicines  cost,  you  will  be  able  to  turn  over 
about  three  times  when  we  get  back  to  IS'ew- 
bern.  You'll  clear  about  three  hundred  dol- 
lars, when  you  might  just  as  well  have  made 
five  thousand,  if  you'd  took  my  advice  and 
put  in  your  seventeen  hundred,  as  I  wanted 
you  to  do." 

Marcy  made  no  re^^ly,  for  he  had  grow^n 
w^eary  of  telling  the  cax)tain  that  he  intended 
to  use  that  money  for  another  i)urpose. 

During  the  two  days  the}^  remained  in  p)ort 
two  large  steamers  came  in,  and  on  the  way 
out  they  jDassed  as  many  more,  both  of  Avhich 
showed  the  English  colors  when  Marcy,  in 
obedience  to  Beardsley's  orders,  ran  the  Con- 
federate emblem  up  to  the  Hattie^  s  jDeak. 

' '  Everything  that' s  aboard  them  ships  is 
meant  for  us,"  said  Captain  Beardsley.  "I 
know  it,  because  there  never  was  no  such 
steamers  sailing  into  this  port  before  the  war. 


EUNNING  THE   BLOCKADE.  129 

Them  fellows  over  the  water  are  sending  in 
goods  faster' n  we  can  take  'em  out.  Go  aloft, 
Marcy,  and  holler  the  minute  you  see  any- 
thing that  looks  like  a  sail  or  a  smoke." 

When  the  pilot  had  been  discharged  and 
the  schooner  filled  away  for  home,  her  crew 
settled  down  to  business  again,  and  every  man 
became  alert  and  watchful.  Those  dreadful 
night  runs  on  the  way  down  Marcy  always 
thought  of  with  a  shiver,  and  now  he  had  to 
go  through  with  them  again  ;  and  one  would 
surely  have  ended  his  career  as  a  blockade- 
runner,  for  a  while  at  least,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  credulity  or  stupidity  of  a  Union  naval 
cax)tain.  This  particular  night,  for  a  wonder, 
was  clear  ;  the  stars  shone  brightly,  and  Marcy 
Gray,  who  sat  on  the  cross  trees  with  the 
night-glass  in  his  hand,  had  been  instructed 
to  use  extra  vigilance.  There  was  a  heavy 
ground  swell  on,  showing  that  there  had 
recently  been  a  blow  somewhere,  and  the 
schooner  had  just  breeze  enough  to  give  her 
steerage  way,  with  nothing  to  spare.  Marcy 
was  thinking  of  home,   and   wondering  how 

much  longer  it  w^ould  be  necessary  for  him  to 
9 


130  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNEK. 


lead  this  double  life,  when  he  saw  something 
that  called  him  back  to  earth  again.  He  took 
a  short  look  at  it  through  his  glass,  and  then 
said,  in  tones  just  loud  enough  to  reach  the 
ears  of  those  below  : 

"On  deck,  there." 

"  Ay,  ay  !  "  came  the  answer.  ^'  What's  to 
do?" 

"Lights  straight  ahead,  sir." 

"Throw  a  tarpaulin  over  that  binnacle," 
commanded  Beardsley  ;  and  a  moment  later 
Marcy  saw  him  coming  up.  He  gave  the  glass 
into  his  hands  and  moved  aside  so  that  the 
captain  could  find  a  place  to  stand  on  the  cross- 
trees.  Either  the  latter' s  ej^es  were  shari:)er 
than  Marcy' s,  or  else  he  took  time  to  make  a 
more  critical  examination  of  the  ax)proachiDg 
vessel,  for  iDresently  he  hailed  the  deck  in  low 
but  excited  tones. 

"I'm  afraid  we're  in  for  it,  Morgan,"  said 
he.  "I  do  for  a  fact.  Tumble  up  here 
and  see  what  jon  think  of  her.  I  can  make 
out  that  she  is  a  heavy  steamer,"  he  added,  as 
Marcv  moved  to  the  other  side  of  the  mast, 
and  the  mate  came  up  and  stood  beside  the 


RUNNING  THE   BLOCKADE.  131 

captain,  ''and  if  she  can't  make  us  out,  too, 
every  soul  aboard  of  her  must  be  blind.  Our 
white  canvas  must  show  a  long  ways  in  this 
bright  starlight.     What  is  she  ?  " 

"I  give  it  up,"  replied  the  mate. 

"  She  is  coming  straight  for  us,  ain't  she  ?  " 

"Looks  like  it.  Supx)ose  you  change  the 
course  a  few  points  and  then  we  can  tell  for  a 
certainty." 

Captain  Beardsley  thought  this  a  suggestion 
worth  acting  ui^on.  He  sent  down  the  neces- 
sary orders  to  the  second  mate,  who  had  been 
left  in  charge  of  the  deck,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  schooner  was  standing  off  on  the  other 
tack,  and  rolling  fearfully  as  she  took  the 
ground  swell  almost  broadside  on.  Then  there 
came  an  interval  of  anxiety  and  suspense,  dur- 
ing which  Marcy  Gray  strained  his  eyes  until 
he  saw  a  dozen  lights  dancing  before  them  in- 
stead of  two,  as  there  ought  to  have  been,  and 
at  last  Captain  Beardsley' s  worst  fears  were 
confirmed.  The  relative  position  of  the  red 
and  green  lights  ahead  slowly  changed  until 
they  were  almost  in  line  with  each  other,  and 
Marcy  was  sailor  enough  to  know  what  that 


132  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

meant.  The  steamer  had  caught  sight  of  the 
Hattle,  was  keeping  watch  of  her,  and  had 
altered  her  course  to  intercept  her.  Marcy  be- 
gan to  tremble. 

^'I  know  how  a  prison  looks  when  viewed 
from  the  outside,"  he  said  to  himself.  ''And 
unless  something  turns  up  in  our  favor,  it  will 
not  be  many  days  before  I  shall  know  how  one 
looks  on  the  inside." 

It  was  plain  that  his  two  companions  were 
troubled  by  the  same  gloomy  thoughts,  for  he 
heard  Beardsley  say,  in  a  husky  voice  ; 

"  She  ain't  holding  a  course  for  nowhere,  nei- 
ther for  the  Indies  nor  the  Cai)e ;  she  shifted 
her  wheel  when  we  did,  and  that  proves  that 
she's  a  Yankee  cruiser  and  nothing  else.  See 
any  signs  of  a  freshening  anywhere  1" 

"  ISTary  freshening,"  replied  the  mate,  with 
a  hasty  glance  around  the  horizon.  "There 
ain't  a  cloud  as  big  as  your  fist  in  sight." 

Of  course  Beardsley  used  some  heavy  words 
— he  always  did  when  things  did  not  go  to  suit 
him — and  then  he  said,  as  if  he  were  almost  on 
the  point  of  crying  wdth  vexation  : 

"It's  too  bad  for  them  cowardly  Yankees  to 


RUNNING   THE   BLOCKADE.  133 

come  pirating  around  here  just  at  tliis  time 
when  we've  got  a  big  fortune  in  our  hands. 
Them  goods  w^e've  got  below  is  worth  a  cool 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  ^N'ewbern,  if 
they're  worth  anything,  and  my  commission 
will  be  somewhere  in  the  neighborliood  of 
twenty-five  ])ev  cent.;  dog-gone  it  all.  Can't 
w^e  do  nothing  to  give  her  the  slip  ?  You  ain't 
fitten  to  be  a  mate  if  you  can't  give  a  w^ord  of 
advice  in  a  case  like  this." 

"  And  if  I  wanted  to  be  sassy  I  might  say 
that  you  ain't  fit  to  command  a  ship  if  you 
can't  get  her  out  of  trouble  when  you  get  her 
into  it.  There  can't  no  advice  be  given  that  I 
can  see,  unless  it  be  to  chuck  the  cargo  over 
the  side.  I  reckon  that  would  be  my  w^ay  if  I 
was  master  of  the  HattieP 

"But  what  good  would  that  do?"  ex- 
claimed Beardsley.  "Where  are  my  docky- 
ments  to  prove  that  I  am  an  honest  trader  \ 
And  even  if  I  had  some,  and  the  cargo  w^as 
safe  out  of  the  hold  and  sunk  to  the  bottom,  I 
couldn't  say  that  I  am  in  ballast,  because  I 
ain't  got  a  pound  of  any  sort  of  ballast  to 
show.     Oh,  I  tell  you  we're  gone  coons,  Mor- 


1J4  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

gan.  Do  the  Yankees  put  striped  clothes  on 
their  prisoners  when  they  shove  'em  into  jail, 
I  wonder  ?" 

The  mate,  wdio  had  come  to  the  wise  conclu- 
sion that  the  only  thing  he  could  do  was  to 
make  the  best  of  the  situation,  did  not  answer 
the  captain' s  last  question.     All  he  said  was  : 

'^  If  you  dump  the  cargo  overboard  the 
Yankees  w^on't  get  it!" 

"But  they'll  get  my  schooner,  won't  they  ?  " 
Beardsley  almost  shouted.  "And  do  you 
reckon  that  I'm  going  to  give  them  Newbern 
fellows  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  I  saved 
their  goods  by  sending  them  to  the  bottom  ? 
Not  by  a  great  sight.  If  that  cruiser  gets  my 
property  she'll  get  their' n,  too.  I  don't  reckon 
we'd  have  time  to  clear  the  hold   anyway." 

Marcy  Gray  had  thought  so  all  along.  The 
lights  were  coming  up  at  a  hand  galloj),  and 
already  they  were  much  nearer  than  they 
seemed  to  be,  for  the  shape  of  the  steamer 
could  be  made  out  by  the  unaided  eye.  When 
Beardsley  ceased  speaking,  the  sound  of  a  gong 
was  clearly  heard,  and  a  minute  later  the 
steamer  blew  her  whistle. 


RUNNING  THE   BLOCKADE.  185 

^'What  did  I  tell  5^011,  Morgan?"  whined 
the  captain.  "  She's  slowing  up,  and  that 
whistle  means  for  ns  to  show  lights.  The  next 
thing  we  shall  see  will  be  a  small  boat  coming 
off.  I  hope  the  swell' 11  turn  it  upside  down 
and  drown  every  mother's  son  of  her  crew 
that —  On  deck,  there,"  he  shouted,  in  great 
consternation.  "  Get  out  lights,  and  be  quick 
about  it.     She'll  be  on  top  of  us  directly." 

"  She  can  see  us  as  well  without  lights  as  she 
can  with  'em,"  growled  the  mate,  as  he  backed 
down  slowly  from  the  crosstrees.  *' I  don't 
care  if  she  cuts  us  down.  I'd  about  as  soon  go 
to  the  bottom  as  to  be  shut  up  in  a  Yankee 
prison." 

Marcy  Gray  was  almost  as  badlj^  frightened 
as  Beardsley  seemed  to  be.  The  steamer  was 
dangerously  near,  and  her  behavior  and  the 
schooner's  proved  the  truth  of  what  he  had 
read  somewhere,  that  "two  vessels  on  the 
ocean  seemed  to  exercise  a  magnetic  influence 
upon  each  other,  so  often  do  collisions  occur 
when  it  looks  as  though  there  might  be  room 
for  all  the  navies  of  the  world  to  pass  in  review\" 
So  it  was  now.     The  two  vessels  drifted  toward 


136  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

each  other,  broadside  on,  and  the  breeze  was 
so  light  that  the  Hattie  was  ahnost  helx)less  ; 
but  the  stranger  was  well  handled  ;  her  huge 
paddle  wheels,  which  up  to  this  moment  had 
hung  motionless  in  the  water,  began  to  turn 
backward,  and  presently  Marcy  let  go  his  des- 
j)erate  clutch  upon  the  stay  to  which  he  was 
clinging,  and  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief. 
Whatever  else  the  cruiser  might  do  to  the 
Hattie^  she  did  not  mean  to  send  her  to  the 
bottom. 

Schooner  ahoy  !  "  came  the  hail. 
On  board  the  steamer,"  answered  Captain 
Beardsley,  who  had  been  allowed  a  little  leis- 
ure in  which  to  recover  his  wits  and  courage. 

"  What  schooner  is  that?  " 

''The  Hattie  of  New  York,"  shouted 
Beardsley.  "Homeward  bound  from  Havana 
with  a  cargo  of  sugar.     Who  are  you  %  " 

"The  United  States  supply  steamer  Ade- 
laide.  What  are  you  doing  a  hundred  miles 
eastward  of  your  course,  and  showing  no 
lights?"  asked  the  voice;  and  Marcy  fully 
expected  that  the  next  words  would  be,  "I'll 
send  a  boat  aboard  of  you." 


EUNNING  THE  BLOCKADE.  137 

'^I'm  afraid  of  privateers,"  was  Beardsley's 
resx)onse.  "  I  lieered  there  was  some  afloat, 
and  I  can't  afford  to  fall  in  with  any  of  'em, 
kase  everything  Tve  got  on  'artli  is  this 
schooner.     If  I  lose  her  I'm  teetotally  ruined." 

"  Well,  then,  why  don't  you  hold  in  toward 
Hatteras,  where  you  will  be  safe?  There's  a 
big  fleet  in  there,  and  in  a  few  days  there'll  be 
more.'' 

"  You  don't  tell  me  !  Much  obleeged  for  the 
information  !  I  will  put  that  way  as  fast  as 
this  breeze  will  take  me.  Seen  anything  sus- 
picious ?    No?    Then  good-by  and  farewell." 

Beardsley  shouted  out  some  orders,  the 
schooner  filled  away  so  as  to  i)ass  under  the 
steamer's  stern,  and  to  Marcy's  unbounded 
astonishment  she  was  permitted  to  go  in  peace. 
The  stranger's  gong  sounded  again,  and  she 
also  went  on  her  way.  There  was  scarcely  a 
word  spoken  above  a  whisper  until  her  lights 
had  disappeared  ;  then  the  schooner's  own  lan- 
terns were  hauled  down,  her  head  was  turned 
to  the  point  of  the  compass  toward  which  it  had 
been  directed  when  the  steamer  was  first  discov- 
ered, and  Cai)tain  Beardsley  was  himself  again. 


138  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

*'  By  gum !  "  said  he,  striding  up  and  down 
the  deck,  pausing  now  and  then  to  go  througli 
the  undignified  j^erformance  of  shipping  his 
mates  on  the  back.  ^^  By  gum,  I  done  it, 
didn't  I!  What  sort  of  a  Yankee  do  you 
reckon  I'd  make,  Marcy  ?  I  talked  just  like 
one — through  the  nose,  you  know.  Pretty 
good  acting  ;  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"It  was  good  enough  to  save  the  schooner," 
replied  Marcy. 

"  And  that  was  what  I  meant  to  do  if  I  could. 
I  wouldn't  have  give  a  dollar  for  my  chances 
of  getting  shet  of  that  steamer  till  she  began  to 
back  away  to  keep  from  running  us  down,  and 
then  something  told  me  that  I'd  be  all  right  if 
I  put  a  bold  face  on  the  matter.  And  that's 
what  I  done.  Oh,  T  m  a  sharp  one,  and  it  takes 
a  better  man  than  a  Yankee  to  get  ahead  of  me. 
I  was  really  much  obliged  to  him  for  telling 
me  of  that  blockading  fleet  at  Hatteras,  for 
now  I'll  know  better  than  to  go  nigh  that  place. 
Hold  the  old  course,  Morgan,  and  that  will 
take  us  out  of  the  way  of  coasters  and  cruis- 
ers, both.  I'll  go  below  and  turn  in  for  a  short 
nap." 


RUNNING   THE   BLOCKADE.  139 

"  If  I  sliould  follow  this  business  until  I  am 
gray-headed  I  don't  think  I  should  ever  again 
have  so  narrow  an  escape,"  said  Marcy  to  him- 
self, as  he  too  went  below  to  take  a  little 
needed  rest.  "  Why,  it  seems  like  a  dream  ; 
and  somehow  I  can  hardly  bring  myself  to  be- 
lieve it  really  happened.  If  the  Yankees  talk 
the  way  Captain  Beardsley  did,  all  I  can  say 
for  them  is  that  they  are  queer  folks." 

It  seemed  as  though  the  schooner's  crew 
could  never  get  through  talking  about  their 
short  interview  with  the  supply  steamer,  for 
every  one  of  them  had  given  up  all  hope  of 
escape,  and  looked  for  nothing  else  but  to  see 
an  armed  boat  put  off  to  test  the  truth  of 
Captain  Beardsley' s  statements  regarding  the 
Hattle  and  her  cargo.  The  mate,  Morgan,  was 
completely  bewildered.  He  could  not  under- 
stand how  a  man  who  had  showed  a  disposition 
to  cry  when  he  saw  his  vessel  in  danger,  could 
be  so  cool  and  even  impudent  when  the  critical 
moment  came. 

In  due  time  all  thoughts  of  the  enemy  they 
had  left  astern  gave  way  to  speculations  con- 
cerning those  they  might  find  before  them. 


140  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

The  latitude  of  Hatteras  Inlet  was  thought  to 
be  particularly  dangerous  ;  but  that  was  passed 
in  the  night  and  Marcy  breathed  easily  again, 
until  Beardsley  began  to  take  a  slant  in  toward 
the  shore,  and  then  there  was  another  season 
of  suspense.  But  the  day  drew  to  a  close  with- 
out bringing  any  suspicious  smoke  or  sail  to 
add  to  their  fears,  and  when  darkness  came 
Crooked  Inlet  was  not  more  than  thirty  miles 
away.  If  the  strong  and  favoring  wind  that 
then  filled  the  schooner's  sails  held  out,  her 
keel  would  be  plowing  the  waters  of  the  Sound 
by  midnight  or  a  little  later,  and  Captain 
Beardsley' s  commission  would  be  safe.  At 
least  .that  was  what  the  latter  told  Marcy  ; 
and,  while  he  talked,  he  jingled  some  keys  in 
his  pocket  with  as  much  apparent  satisfaction 
as  though  they  were  the  dollars  he  hoped  to 
put  there  in  a  few  days  more.  But  the  old 
saying  that  there  is  many  a  slip  came  very  near 
holding  true  in  Beardsley' s  case.  The  latter 
was  so  certain  that  he  had  left  all  danger  be- 
hind him,  and  that  he  had  nothing  more  to  do 
but  sail  in  at  his  leisure  and  land  his  cargo 
when  he  got  ready,  that  he  did  not  think  it 


RUNNING  THE  BLOCKADE.  141 

worth  while  to  man  the  crosstrees  after  night- 
fall ;  consequently  there  was  no  watchful  look- 
out to  warn  him  of  the  susi)icious  looking 
object  that  moved  slowly  out  of  the  darkness  a 
mile  or  so  ahead,  and  waited  for  him  to  come 
up.  About  eleven  o'clock  Marcy  Gray  strolled 
forward  and  climbed  out  upon  the  bowsprit  to 
see  if  he  could  discover  any  signs  of  the  land, 
which,  according  to  his  calculations,  ought  not 
to  be  far  distant. 

"I  might  as  well  be  out  here  as  anywhere 
else,"  he  thought,  pulling  out  the  night-glass, 
which  he  had  taken  the  X)recaution  to  bring 
with  him.  ''Of  course  the  ski]3per  will  run 
her  through  without  any  aid  from  me,  as  he 
did  before,  and  so — what  in  the  world  is  that  1 
Looks  like  a  smooth  round  rock  ;  but  I  know 
it  isn't,  for  there's  nothing  of  that  sort  about 
this  Inlet." 

Marcy  took  another  look  through  the  glass, 
then  backed  quickly  but  noiselessly  down  from 
his  perch  and  ran  aft  to  the  quarter-deck. 
The  captain  was  standing  there  joking  with 
his  mates,  and  congratulating  them  and  him- 
self on  the  safe  and  profitable  run  the  Hattie 


142  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

had  made  ;  and  as  Marcy  came  up  lie  threw 
back  his  head  and  gave  utterance  to  a  hoarse 
laugh,  which,  in  the  stillness  of  the  night, 
could  have  been  heard  half  a  mile  away. 

'' Captain  !  Captain  !  "  exclaimed  Marcy, 
in  great  excitement,  "  for  goodness'  sake  don't 
do  that  again  !  Keep  still !  There's  a  ship's 
long  boat  fille^d  with  men  right  ahead  of  us." 

It  seemed  to  Marcy  that  Beardsley  wilted 
visibly  wdien  this  astounding  x)iece  of  news 
was  imparted  to  him.  His  hearty  laugh  was 
broken  short  off  in  the  middle,  so  to  speak, 
and  when  turned  so  that  the  light  from  the 
binnacle  shone  upon  his  face,  Marcy  saw  that 
it  was  as  white  as  a  sheet. 

No  !  "  he  managed  to  gasp. 
Why,  boy,  you're  scared  to  death,"  said 
one   of    the  mates,     rather    contemptuously. 
^'  Where's  the  ship  for  the  long  boat  to  come 
from  1 ' ' 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  that,"  an- 
swered Marcy  hurriedly.  "  I  only  tell  you 
what  I  saw  with  my  own  eyes.  Here's  the 
glass.  Captain.  Go  for'ard  and  take  a  look 
for  yourself." 


u 


EUNNING   THE   BLOCKADE.  143 

The  caj)tain  snatched  the  glass  with  almost 
frantic  liaste  and  ran  toward  tlie  bow,  fol- 
lowed by  the  mates  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
crew,  with  the  exception  of  the  man  at  the 
wheel.  With  trembling  hands  Beard  sley 
raised  the  binoculars,  but  almost  immediately 
took  them  down  again  to  say,  in  frightened 
tones : 

"  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  have  missed 
my  reckoning.  We're  lost,  and  the  Yankee 
fleet  may  be  within  less  than  a  mile  of  us. 
Take  a  look,  Morgan.  I  never  saw  that  rock 
before." 

"  But  I  tell  you  it  isn't  a  rock,"  protested 
Marcy.  "It  is  a  boat,  and  she's  lying  head 
on  so  that  she  won't  show  as  plainly  as  she 
would  if  she  lay  broadside  to  us.  Do  you  see 
those  long  black  streaks  on  each  side  ?  Those 
are  oars,  and  they  were  in  motion  when  I  first 
saw  them." 

The  mate  was  so  long  in  making  his  observa- 
tions that  Marcy  grew  impatient,  and  won- 
dered at  his  stupidity.  He  could  see  without 
the  aid  of  a  glass  that  it  was  a  boat  and 
nothing  else  ;  and  more  than  that,  the  schooner 


144  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

had  by  this  time  drawn  so  near  her  that  he 
could  make  out  two  suspicious  objects  in  her 
bow — one  he  was  sure  was  a  howitzer,  and  the 
other  looked  very  like  the  upright,  motionless 
figure  of  a  blue-jacket,  awaiting  the  order 
from  the  officer  in  command  to  j^ull  the  lock- 
string.  An  instant  later  a  second  figure  arose, 
as  if  from  the  stern-sheets,  and  the  command 
came  clear  and  distinct : 

"Heave  to,  or  we'll  blow  you  out  of  the 
water  !  " 

"  Now  I  hope  you  are  satisfied  !  "  exclaimed 
Marcy. 

He  expected  to  see  Beardsley  wilt  again  ; 
but  he  did  nothing  of  the  sort.  It  required  an 
emergency  to  bring  out  what  there  was  in 
him,  and  when  he  saw  that  he  must  act,  he 
did  it  without  an  instant's  hesitation. 

"Lay  aft,  all  hands!"  was  the  order  he 
gave.  "  Marcy,  stand  by  to  watch  the  buoys 
in  the  Inlet.  Morgan,  go  to  the  wheel  and 
hold  her  just  as  she  is.  Don't  luff  so  much  as 
a  hair's  breadth.  We'll  run  them  Yankees 
down.     It's  our  only  chance." 

And  a  very  slim  one  it  is,"  thought  Marcy, 


a 


RUNNING  THE   BLOCKADE.  145 

as  he  took  the  glass  from  the  mate's  hand  and 
directed  it  toward  tlie  point  where  he  thought 
the  entrance  of  the  Inlet  ouglit  to  be.  "The 
cruiser  to  which  this  boat  belongs  can't  be  far 
away,  and  she  will  come  up  the  minute  she 
hears  the  roar  of  the  howitzer." 

"Heave  to,  or  w^e'll  sink  you!"  came  the 
order,  in  louder  and  more  emphatic  tones. 

"Starboard  a  spoke  or  two.  Steady  at 
that,"  said  Beardsley,  turning  about  and  ad- 
dressing the  man  who  liad  been  stationed  in 
the  waist  to  jjass  his  commands.  "  Ten  to  one 
they'll  miss  us,  but  all  the  same  I  wash  I  knew 
how  heavy  them  guns  of  their' n  is." 

"They  have  bat  one,"  replied  Marcy,  won- 
dering at  the  captain's  coolness.  "Can't  you 
see  it  there  in  the  bow  ?  " 

"Well,  if  it's  a  twenty-four  pounder,  like 
them  old  ones  of  our'n,  and  they  hit  us  at  the 
w^ater-line,  they'll  tear  a  hole  in  us  as  big  as  a 
barn  door." 

All  this  while  the  schooner  had  been  bearing 

swiftly  down  upon  the  launch,  and  when  the 

officer  in  command  of  her  began  to  see  through 

Beardsley' s  little  plan,  he  at  once  j)roceeded 
10 


146  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

to  set  in  motion  one  of  his  own  that  was  calcu- 
lated to  defeat  it.  His  howitzer  was  loaded 
with  a  five- second  shraj)nel,  and  this  he  fired 
at  the  schooner  at  a  point-blank  range  of  less 
than  a  hundred  yards.  He  couldn't  miss 
entirely  at  that  short  distance,  but  the  missile 
flew  too  high  to  hull  the  blockade-runner.  It 
struck  the  flying  jib-boom,  breaking  it  short 
off  and  rendering  that  sail  useless,  glanced  and 
splintered  the  rail  close  by  the  spot  Avhere 
the  cajDtain  and  his  pilot  were  standing,  went 
shrieking  off  over  the  water,  and  finally  ex- 
ploding an  eighth  of  a  mile  astern.  The  skip- 
per and  Marcy  were  both  prostrated  by  a 
splinter  six  feet  long  and  four  inches  thick 
that  was  torn  from  the  rail  ;  but  they 
scrambled  to  their  feet  again  almost  as  soon  as 
they  touched  the  deck,  and  when  they  looked 
ahead,  fully  expecting  to  find  the  launch  under 
the  schooner's  fore-foot  and  on  the  point  of 
being  run  down,  they  saw  an  astonishing  as 
well  as  a  most  discouraging  sight.  The  boat 
was  farther  away  than  she  was  before,  and 
her  whole  length  could  be  seen  now,  for  not 
only  was  she  broadside  on,  but  the  darkness 


Captain  Beardsley  Surprised. 


RUNNIXG   THE  BLOCKADE.  147 

above  and  around  her,  wliicli  had  hitherto 
rendered  her  shape  and  size  somewhat  indis- 
tinct, was  lighted  up  by  a  bright  glare  that 
shot  up  from  somewhere  amidships,  and  the 
sound  of  escaping  steam  could  be  plainly 
heard. 

*'0h,  my  shoulder!  Dog-gone  it  all,  my 
shoulder!"  cried  Beardsley,  placing  the  in- 
step of  his  left  foot  behind  his  right  knee  and 
hopping  about  as  if  it  were  the  lower  portion 
of  his  anatomy  that  had  been  injured  instead 
of  the  upper.  ' '  She' s  got  a  steam  ingine  aboard 
of  her,  and  them  oars  of  her'n  was  only  meant 
for  snooping  uj^  and  down  the  coast  quiet  and 
stiir  so't  nobody  couldn't  hear  'em.  We're 
gone  this  time,  Morgan ;  and  I  tell  you  that 
for  a  fact !  " 

The  moment  Marcy  Gray  recovered  his  feet 
he  made  an  effort  to  pick  up  the  glass  that  had 
fallen  from  his  grasp,  but  to  his  surprise,  his 
left  hand  refused  to  obev  his  wdll.  When  he 
made  a  second  attempt,  he  found  that  he  could 
not  move  his  hand  at  all  unless  he  raised  his 
arm  at  the  shoulder.  He  was  not  conscious  of 
much  pain,  although  he  afterward  said  that  his 


148  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

arm  felt  a  good  deal  as  it  did  when  Dick 
Graham  accidentally  hit  his  biceps  with  a 
swiftly  pitched  ball.  But  his  right  hand  was 
all  right,  and  with  it  he  snatched  up  the  glass 
and  levied  it  at  the  Inlet,  which  to  his  great 
delight  he  could  plainly  see  straight  ahead. 

''Mind  what  you  are  about,  Captain,"  said 
he,  as  soon  as  he  could  induce  the  man  to 
stand  still  and  listen  to  him.  "  That  first  buoy 
is  a  black  one,  and  you  want  to  leave  it  to 
port.  If  you  keep  on  as  you  are  holding  now 
you  will  leave  it  to  starboard,  and  that  will 
run  you  hard  and  fast  aground." 

"  Don't  make  much  odds  which  w^ay  w^e  go," 
whined  Beardsley,  holding  fast  to  his  elbow 
with  one  hand  and  to  his  shoulder  with  the 
other.  "Just  look  what  them  Yankees  is  a 
doing ! " 

The  captain  became  utterly  disheartened 
when  he  saw  that  his  plan  for  sinking  the 
launch  and  making  good  his  escape  into  the 
Inlet  Avas  going  to  end  in  failure,  and  Marcy 
did  not  blame  him  for  it.  The  officer  in  com- 
mand of  the  small  boat,  whoever  he  might  be, 
was  a  determined  and  active  fellow;  his  crew 


EUNNING  THE   BLOCKADE.  149 

were  picked  men;  his  little  craft  was  a  "trot- 
ter," and  he  knew  how  to  handle  both  of  them. 
He  had  been  sent  out  by  one  of  the  blockading 
squadron  to  patrol  the  coast  and  watch  for  just 
such  vessels  as  the  Hattie  was,  and  although 
he  had  steam  up  all  the  while,  he  used  his 
twenty-four  muffled  oars,  twelve  on  a  side,  as 
his  motive  power ;  and  this  enabled  him  to 
slip  along  the  coast  without  making  the  least 
sound  to  betray  his  i)resence.  As  luck  would 
have  it,  he  had  not  discovered  Crooked  Inlet. 
If  he  had,  he  would  have  lifted  the  buoys,  and 
it  might  have  led  to  extra  watchfulness  on  the 
part  of  the  blockading  fleet.  But  he  had  dis- 
covered the  Hattie^  and  his  actions  proved 
that  he  did  not  mean  to  let  her  escape  if  he 
could  help  it. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  mate's   lucky   SHOT. 

'^  nrUST  look  what  them  Yankees  is  a  doing 
fJ  now,"  repeated  Captain  Beardsley  ;  and 
when  Marcy  turned  his  eyes  from  the  warning 
buoy  to  the  launch,  he  saw  that  the  latter  Avas 
scuttling  rapidly  out  of  harm's  way  ;  that  her 
bow  was  swinging  around  so  that  she  would 
pass  by  within  less  than  a  hundred  feet  of  the 
schooner ;  that  the  oars  had  been  dropped 
overboard,  and  were  dragging  alongside  by  the 
lanyards  that  were  fastened  to  them  ;  that 
some  of  the  crew  had  arisen  to  their  feet  and 
stood  facing  the  Hattie  ;  and  that  the  rest  were 
busy  with  the  howitzer  in  the  bow. 

*'  Heave  to,  or  we'll  cut  you  all  to  pieces  !  " 
shouted  the  officer  in  command ;  and  Marcy 
could  see  him  plainly  now,  for  he  stood  erect 
in  the  stern-sheets  with  a  boat-cloak  around 
him.  "  We'll  send  canister  and  rifle  balls  in- 
to you  next  time,  and  they'll  come  so  thick 

150 


THE  mate's   lucky    SHOT.  151 

that  they  won't  leave  so  much  as  a  ratline  of 
you.     Heave  to,  I  say  !  " 

At  this  juncture  a  rifle  or  pistol  shot,  Marcy 
could  not  tell  which  it  was,  sounded  from  the 
schooner's  quarter-deck,  and  the  plucky  officer 
was  seen  to  throw  his  hands  above  his  head, 
grasp  wildly  at  the  empty  air  for  a  moment, 
and  then  disappear  over  the  side  of  the  launch. 
In  an  instant  all  was  confusion  among  the  blue- 
jackets. The  coxswain,  who  of  course  was  left 
in  command,  shouted  to  the  engineer  to  shut 
off  steam,  to  the  crew  to  drop  their  muskets 
and  pick  up  their  oars,  and  to  the  cax)tain  of 
the  howitzer  to  cut  loose  with  his  load  of  can- 
ister. 

"  Lay  down,  everybody,"  cried  Beardsley, 
who  plainly  heard  all  these  orders  ;  and  suit- 
ing the  action  to  the  word,  he  quickl^^  stretched 
himself  upon  the  deck.  Marcy  had  barely 
time  to  follow  his  example  before  the  howitzer 
roared  again,  and  the  canister  rattled  through 
the  rigging  like  hail,  tearing  holes  in  the  can- 
vas, splintering  a  mast  here  and  a  boom  there, 
but  never  cutting  a  stay  or  halliard.  If  a  top- 
mast had  gone  by  the  board,  or  a  sail  come 


152  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

down  by  the  run,  tlie  schooner  would  have 
been  quite  at  the  mercy  of  the  launch  ;  for  the 
latter  could  have  carried  her  by  boarding,  or 
taken  a  position  astern  and  peppered  the  Ilat- 
tie  with  shrax)nel  until  Captain  Beardsley  would 
have  been  glad  to  surrender.  The  captain  did 
not  see  how  his  vessel  could  escax^e  being  cripr  ^ 
pled,  and  he  would  have  surrendered  then  and 
there  if  any  one  in  the  launch  had  called  upon 
him  to  do  so  ;  but  when  he  got  upon  his  feet 
and  saw  that  every  rope  held,  and  that  the 
schooner  was  just  on  the  point  of  entering  her 
haven  of  refuge,  he  toolv  heart  again. 

' '  Marcy,  go  aft  and  tell  Morgan  that  that  buoy 
ahead  is  a  black  one,"  said  he,  as  soon  as  he 
had  taken  time  to  recover  his  wits.  ' '  Lay 
for'ard  some  of  us  and  cut  away  this  useless 
canvas.  The  Hattie  ain't  catched  yet,  dog- 
gone it  all.  I  tell  you,  lads,  it  takes  some- 
body besides  a  plodding,  dollar-loving  Yankee 
to  get  to  windward  of  Lon  Beardsley." 

"The  captain  desired  me  to  remind  you 
that  that  buoy  is  a  black  one,  and  you  want  to 
leave  it  to  port,"  said  Marcy,  taking  his  stand 
beside  the   man   at  the   wheel.     "Who  fired 


THE  mate's   lucky   SHOT.  153 

that  shot?    It    came    from   this  end  of    the 
vessel." 

''The second  mate  fired  it,"  replied  Morgan, 
''  and  he  done  it  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  The 
killing  of  that  officer  was  all  that  saved  our 
bacon." 

''Oh,  I  hope  he  wasn't  killed!"  exclaimed 
Marcy. 

"  You  do,  hey  ?  Well,  I  don't.  I'd  like  to 
see  the  last  blockader  on  this  coast  tumbled 
into  the  drink  in  the  same  way.  What  did 
the  old  man  say  about  it  ?  " 

"Not  a  word.  I  think  he  was  too  surprised 
to  say  anything." 

"  Was  anybody  hurt  by  that  shell  1 "  contin- 
ued Morgan.  "I  seen  the  jib  flying  in  the 
wind  and  the  rail  ripped  up,  and  you  and  the 
old  man  was  standing  right  there." 

"Something  or  other  knocked  both  of  us 
flatter  than  pancakes,"  answered  Marcy. 
"  The  cai^tain  must  have  been  hit  all  over  ;  but 
I  was  struck  only  on  the  arm,  and  I  don't  seem 
to  have  much  use  of  it  any  more." 

"You  can  go  forward  and  lookout  for  the 
buoys,  can't  you?    All  right.     Sing  out  when- 


154  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

ever  you  see  one,  and  I  will  stay  here  and  take 
lier  through  while  the  cap'n  gets  that  head- 
sail  out  of  the  way." 

Before  obeying  this  order  Marcy  stopped 
long  enough  to  level  the  glass  toward  the  place 
where  he  supposed  the  launch  to  be.  Having 
worked  the  water  out  of  the  cylinders  the  engi- 
neer had  shut  off  the  stop-cocks  so  that  she 
could  not  be  heard,  and  as  there  was  no  flame 
shooting  out  of  her  smoke-stack,  she  could  not 
be  seen ;  but  she  was  still  on  top  of  the 
water,  and  eager  to  do  mischief.  While  Marcy 
was  moving  his  glass  around  trying  to  locate 
her,  the  howitzer  spoke  again  ;  but  as  the 
schooner  took  the  wind  free  after  rounding  the 
flrst  buoy,  her  course  was  changed,  so  that 
the  shell  passed  behind  her,  and  exploded  far 
ahead  and  to  the  right. 

"You've  got  your  wish,"  said  Morgan. 
"  That  shot  means  that  they  have  picked  up 
their  cap'n,  and  that  he's  as  full  of  fight  as 
ever.  Well,  let  him  bang  away,  if  he  Avants  to. 
He  can't  hurt  the  sand-hills,  and  this  channel 
is  so  crooked  that  he  won't  hit  us  except  by 
accident." 


THE   mate's   lucky    SHOT.  155 

"But  he  will  follow  in  our  wake,  won't 
he?" 

"Who  cares  if  he  does  so  long  as  he  don't 
sight  us  ?  We'll  dodge  him  easy  enough  after 
we  get  into  the  Sound.  iS'ow  toddle  for'ard 
and  look  out  for  me." 

["It's  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good," 
thought  the  boy,  as  he  leaned  his  uninjured 
arm  upon  the  splintered  rail  and  brought  the 
glass  to  his  eye.  "  This  night's  work  will  put 
an  end  to  the  Hattle' s  blockade-running.  If 
that  fellow  astern  don't  catch  ns,  he  will  surely 
find  and  pull  up  the  buoys,  and  then  we  can't 
follow  the  channel  except  by  sending  a  boat  on 
ahead  with  a  lead-line.  That  might  do  when 
we  were  going  out,  but  it  vv'ouldn't  work  run- 
ing  in  if  there  was  an  enemy  close  behind  us. 
Another  thing,  this  Inlet  will  be  watched  in 
future.  Xow  you  mark  my  w^ords."]  "Red 
buoy  on  the  starboard  bow,"  he  called  out  to 
the  man  at  the  wheel.  • 

Morgan  repeated  the  words  to  show  that  he 
understood  them,  and  just  then  Beardsley 
came  up,  having  seen  the  useless  jib  brought 
on  deck  and  stowed  awa}^ 


156  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

"Be  careful  and  make  no  mistake,  Marcy," 
said  he.  "  It' s  a  matter  of  life  and  death  with 
us  now — and  money." 

"I  can  call  off  the  color  of  every  buoy  be- 
tween here  and  the  Sound,"  replied  the  pilot 
confidently.  ''I  took  particular  pains  to  re- 
member the  order  in  which  they  w^ere  put  out. 
Where  are  you  hurt,  Captain  ? "  he  added, 
seeing  that  the  man  had  let  go  of  his  shoulder 
and  was  now  holding  fast  to  both  elbows. 

"I'm  hurt  in  every  place  ;  that's  where  I  am 
hurt,"  said  Beardsley,  looking  savagely  at 
Marcy,  as  if  the  latter  was  to  blame  for  it. 
"  Something  hit  me  ker-whallop  on  this  side, 
and  the  deck  took  me  ker-chunk  on  the  other  ; 
and  I'll  bet  there  ain't  a  spot  on  ary  side  as 
big  as  an  inch  where  I  ain't  black  and  blue. 
You  wasn't  touched,  was  you  ?  But  I  thought 
I  seen  you  come  down  when  I  did." 

"  I  w^ent  down  fast  enough,"  answ^ered 
Marcy.  "  I  bumped  my  head  pretty  heavily 
on  the  deck,  but  the  worst  hurt  I  got  was  right 
here.  And  I  declare,  there's  a  bunch  that 
don't  belong  to  me.  Is  it  a  fracture  of  the 
humerus,  I  wonder?" 


THE   mate's   lucky   SHOT.  157 

"A  which  ? "  exdaimed  the  i)uzzled  captain. 

''  I  really  believe  the  bone  of  my  npi^er  arm 
is  broken,'-  replied  Marcy,  feeling  of  the  bunch 
to  which  he  had  referred.  ''It  doesn't  hurt 
much  excejDt  when  I  touch  it.  It  only  feels 
numb." 

Just  then  the  howitzer  sj^oke  again,  and  an- 
other shrapnel  flew  wide  of  the  schooner  and 
burst  among  the  sand  dunes.  Another  and 
another  followed  at  short  intervals,  and  then 
the  firing  ceased.  The  launch  had  given  it 
up  as  a  bad  job  ;  the  pursuit  was  over  and 
Marcy  and  the  captain  were  the  only  ones  in- 
jured. 

''  She  has  either  run  hard  and  fast  aground, 
or  else  she  is  amusing  herself  with  them  buoys 
of  our'n,"  said  Beardsley,  when  he  became  sat- 
isfied that  the  launch  was  no  longer  following 
in  the  schooner's  wake.  "Now,  where' s  that 
good-looking  son  of  mine  who  fired  the  lucky 
shot  that  tumbled  that  Yankee  officer  over- 
board ?  Whoever  he  is,  I'll  double  his  wages. 
He  ought  to  have  it,  for  he  saved  the  vessel  and 
her  cargo.     Let  him  show  up." 

The  second  mate  obeyed  the  oi'der,  exhibit- 


158  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

ing  the  revolver  that  had  fired  the  shot,  and 
the  captain  comj)limented  him  in  no  measured 
terms.  Marcy  could  not  help  acknowledging 
to  himself  that  their  escape  was  owing  entirely 
to  the  prompt  action  the  mate  had  taken  with- 
out w^aiting  for  orders  ;  but  all  the  same  he  was 
sorry  for  that  Federal  officer. 

Less  than  an  hour's  run  sufficed  to  take  the 
schooner  out  of  the  Inlet  and  into  the  Sound, 
and  when  Beardsley  had  given  out  the  course 
and  seen  the  sails  trimmed  to  suit  it,  he  w^ent 
into  his  cabin,  from  which  he  presently  issued 
to  pass  the  word  for  Marcy  Gray.  When  the 
boy  descended  the  ladder  he  found  the  first 
mate  and  two  foremast  hands  there  besides  the 
captain  ;  and  on  the  table  he  saw  two  pieces  of 
thin  board,  and  several  strii3S  of  cloth  that 
had  evidently  been  torn  u^)  for  bandages.  He 
noticed,  too,  that  the  atmosphere  w^as  filled 
with  the  odor  of  liniment. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  he  asked,  in 
some  alarm. 

"We're  going  to  set  that — that — what-do- 
you -call-it  of  your'n,''  replied  the  captain 
cheerfully.     The  name  that  Marcy  had  given 


THE  mate's  lucky  shot.  ir)9 

to  tlie  bone  of  his  iij^per  arm  was  too  miicli  for 
Mm.     He  could  not  remember  it. 

The  boy  knew  that  all  sea  captains  have 
more  or  less  knowledge  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery. It  is  necessary  that  they  should  have, 
for  sailors  are  often  seized  with  illness,  or  meet 
with  serious  accidents  when  their  ship  is  at 
sea,  and  so  far  from  a  doctor  that  without  im- 
mediate aid  from  some  source  they  would 
surely  lose  their  lives.  Marcy  had  read  of  a 
whaling  captain,  one  of  whose  men  was  jerked 
overboard  from  his  boat  by  a  wounded  whale, 
dragged  for  six  hundred  feet  or  more  through 
the  water  with  frightful  speed,  and  who  was 
finally  released  by  his  leg  giving  way  to  the 
strain.  The  captain  saw  that  that  leg  must  be 
attended  to  or  the  man  would  die.  His  crew 
were  too  badly  frightened  to  help  him,  so  he 
amputated  the  injured  member  himself ;  and 
all  the  surgical  instruments  his  ship  afforded 
were  a  carving-knife,  a  carpenter  s  saw,  and  a 
fish-hook.  But  he  saved  the  man's  life. 
Marcy  thought  of  this  and  shuddered  at  the 
thought  of  submitting  himself  to  Beard sley's 
rude  surger3\ 


160  MARCY,  THE   BLOCK ADE-RUKNER. 


I  believe  I  would  rather  wait  until  we  get 
to  Newbern,"  said  he  doubtfully. 

"  why,  man  alive,  we  may  not  see  port  for  a 
week,"  answered  the  captain.  "How  do  we 
know  but  what  there  are  a  dozen  or  more 
steam  launches,  like  the  one  we've  just  left 
astern,  loafing  about  in  the  Sound  waiting  for 
us  ?  If  there  are,  we'll  have  to  get  shet  of  'em 
somehow,  and  that  will  take  time.  If  we  don't 
'tend  to  your  arm  now,  it  may  be  so  bad  when 
the  doctor  sees  it  that  he  can' t  do  nothing  with 
it  without  half  killing  of  you.  Take  off  his 
coat  and  vest,  men  ;  and  Morgan,  you  roll  up 
his  sleeve.  There  is  folks  around  home  who 
think  you  are  for  the  Union,  and  that  you  ain'  t 
secesli,  even  if  you  do  belong  to  my  vessel.  If 
you  run  foul  of  one  of  'em  while  you  are  gone 
on  your  furlong,  just  point  to  your  arm  and 
tell  him  to  hold  his  yawp." 

''Are  you  going  to  give  me  a  leave  of  ab- 
sence?" asked  Marcy,  who  was  so  delighted 
at  the  thought  that  he  could  scarcely  keep 
from  showing  it. 

' '  I  reckon  I'  11  have  to.  I  ain' t  got  no  use  for 
a  one-handed  man  ;   but  I'll  keep  your  place 


THE  mate's   lucky   SHOT.  161 

open  for  you,  never  fear.  Just  see  that,  now. 
Ain't  that  a  pretty  looking  arm  for  a  white 
boy  to  carry  around  with  him  ?  It  makes  me 
hate  them  Yankees  wusser'n  I  did  before." 

The  wounded  arm  was  already  becoming  in- 
flamed, and  it  was  painful,  too  ;  and  although 
Beardsley's  assistants  were  as  careful  as  they 
could  be,  Marcy  Avinced  while  they  Avere  help- 
ing him  off  with  his  coat  and  vest  and  rolling 
u])  his  sleeve.  When  this  had  been  done  one 
of  the  men,  in  obedience  to  a  slight  nod  from 
the  captain,  seized  Marcy  around  the  chest 
under  his  arms,  the  mate  by  a  movement 
equally  quick  grasped  his  left  wrist,  and  both 
began  pulling  in  opposite  directions  with  all 
their  strength,  while  Beard sley  passed  his 
huge  rough  hands  uj)  and  down  over  the 
"bunch"  until  he  was  satisfied  that  the  pro- 
truding bone  had  been  pulled  back  to  its 
place.  The  operation  was  a  jiainful  one,  and 
the  only  thing  that  kept  Marcy  from  crying- 
out  was  the  remembrance  of  Beardsley's  words 
*'I  ain't  got  no  use  for  a  one-handed  man." 
That  broken  arm  would  bring  liim  a  furlough. 

''There,  now;  that'll  do.     'Vast  heaving," 
11 


162  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

said  tlie  captain,  at  length.  "  Put  some  of  tlie 
stuff  in  that  bottle  on  one  of  them  bandages 
and  hand  it  over  here.  Pretty  rough  way  of 
getting  to  go  home,  but  better  than  none  at  all, 
and  I  reckon  your  maw  will  be  just  as  glad  to 
see  you  as  she  would  if  you  had  two  good  arms. 
Don't  you  reckon  she  will  ?  " 

After  his  arm  had  been  bandaged  and  placed 
in  a  sling,  Marcy  was  quite  willing  to  go  into 
the  forecastle  and  lie  down  in  his  bunk ;  and 
there  he  stayed  until  the  schooner  entered  the 
Neuse  River  and  a  tug  came  alongside  to  tow 
her  up  to  the  city.  This  time  there  were  plenty 
of  cheers  to  welcome  her,  the  first  coming  from 
the  working  parties  who  were  building  the 
fortifications,  and  the  next  from  the  soldiers 
and  loafers  who  were  assembled  upon  the  wharf 
to  which  she  was  made  fast,  and  who  howled 
themselves  hoarse  when  they  caught  sight  of 
the  holes  in  her  sails,  her  broken  bowsprit,  and 
her  splintered  rail. 

"  I  see  that  blockade  running  has  its  dan- 
gers as  well  as  privateering,"  said  Beardsley's 
agent,  as  he  sprang  over  the  rail  and  seized  the 
captain's  hand.     "  The  Hattie  is  cut  up  pretty 


THE  MATE  S  LUCKY  SHOT.        1G3 

badly,  but  tlie  Osprey  was  never  touclied. 
Been  in  a  fight  "s  " 

''  Well,  no,  not  mucli  of  a  figlit,  because  we 
uns  didn't  have  nothing  to  fight  with.  But  the 
schooner  ran  through  a  pretty  tol'able  heavy 
fire,  I  tell  you." 

It  was  all  over  now,  and  Beardsley  could 
afford  to  treat  the  matter  with  indifference  ; 
but  Marcy  remembered  that  when  that  splinter 
knocked  him  down,  the  captain  was  the  worst 
frightened  man  in  the  crew.  However,  Beards- 
ley  was  not  as  badly  hurt  as  he  thought  he  was. 
When  he  came  to  make  an  examination  of  his 
injuries,  all  he  could  find  was  a  black  and.,  blue 
spot  on  one  of  his  shoulders  that  was  about 
half  as  large  as  his  hand  ;  but  he  made  more 
fuss  over  that  than  Marcy  Gray  did  over  his 
broken  arm. 

"  Anybody  shot  ?  "  continued  the  agent. 

"  Well,  3'es  ;  two  of  us  got  touched  a  little, 
but  not  enough  to  growl  over.  You  see  it  was 
this-a-way " 

"  I  suppose  I  may  go  ashore  now  and  hunt 
uj)  a  surgeon,  may  I  not  ?"  Marcy  interposed. 

He  thought  from  the  way  Beardsley  settled 


164  MARCY,  THE  BLOCK  AD  E-IiUNNEK. 

himself  against  the  rail  that  he  was  preparing 
for  a  long  talk  with  the  agent,  and  that  it 
would  be  a  good  plan  to  have  his  own  affairs 
settled  before  the  captain  became  too  deeply 
interested  in  his  narrative  to  listen  to  him. 
There  was  little  to  detain  him  in  Newbern. 
On  the  .way  up  the  river  Beardsley  had  given 
him  a  written  leave  of  absence  for  ninety  days, 
and  a  check  on  the  bank  for  his  money  ;  and 
all  he  had  to  do  besides  presenting  that  check 
was  to  have  his  arm  examined  by  a  surgeon. 

"  Of  course  you  can  go,"  replied  Beardsley. 
"  And  if  I  don't  see  you  when  you  come  back 
for  your  dunnage,  don't  forget  them  little  mes- 
sages I  give  you  for  the  folks  at  home,  nor 
them  letters  ;  and  bear  in  mind  that  I  want 
you  back  as  soon  as  ever  you  can  get  well."* 

Marcy  promised  to  remember  it  all,  and  the 
captain  went  on  to  say  : 

"  He's  the  bravest  lad  that  ever  stepped  in 
shoe  leather.  When  them  Yankees  sent  that 
shell  into  us  and  knocked  him  and  me  down 
and  smashed  his  arm  all  to  flinders,  he  stood  in 
the  bow  and  piloted  us  through  Crooked  Inlet 
as  slick  as  falling  off  a  log  ;  and  there  was  his 


THE   mate's   lucky   SHOT.  165 

arm  broken  all  the  while,  and  hanging  by  his 
side  as  limp  as  a  piece  of  wet  rope.  Oh,  he's 
a  good  one,  and  I  don' t  for  the  life  of  me  see 
how  I  am  going  to  get  on  without  him.  I've 
said  as  much  in  them  letters  I  wrote  to  the 
folks  to  home." 

Under  almost  any  other  circumstances  Marcy 
Gray  would  have  been  disgusted  ;  but  as  it  was, 
he  was  quite  willing  that  Beardsley  should  talk 
about  him  in  this  strain  as  often  as  he  felt 
like  it. 

"  Perhaps  it  will  help  me  with  those  secret 
enemies  at  home,"  he  said  to  himself,  as  he 
stepped  upon  the  wharf  and  forced  his  way 
slowly  through  the  crowd,  not,  however,  with- 
out being  compelled  to  shake  hands  with  a 
dozen  or  more  wdio  w^anted  to  know  when  and 
where  he  got  hurt  and  who  did  it,  and  all  about 
it.  "I  should  really  like  to  see  the  inside  of 
the  letters  the  captain  gave  me  to  hand  to 
Shelby  and  the  rest.  I  w^onder  if  he  thinks  I 
am  foolish  enough  to  open  and  read  them  ? 
He'll  not  trap  me  that  way  ;  but  I  wouldn't 
trust  any  letters  to  him  that  I  didn't  want  him 
to  read,  I  bet  you." 


1G5  MAllCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

Arriving  at  a  drug  store  which  bore  the  name 
of  a  medical  man  upon  one  of  its  doorposts, 
Marcy  entered  and  asked  where  he  could  find 
somebody  to  tell  him  whether  or  not  his  broken 
arm  had  been  proi)erly  set  and  cared  for. 

"  Sfcep  right  this  way,  and  I  will  tell  you  in 
less  than  five  minutes,"  said  the  man  who  stood 
behind  the  counter.    ' '  How  did  you  break  it  ?  " 

"  I  was  knocked  down,"  replied  Marcy. 

"  Wlio  knocked  you  down  ?  " 

''A  Yankee!" 

''Heyday!     Bull  Run?" 

*'  No,  sir  ;     Crooked  Inlet." 

"Well,  I  thought  you  looked  like  a  sea- 
faring man.     What  vessel  do  you  belong  to  ?  " 

"The  blockade-runner  Hattie.  She  used  to 
be  the  privateer  OspreyP 

"  Were  you  one  of  the  brave  fellows  who 
captured  the  Mary  Hollins  %  "  exclaimed  the 
surgeon,  giving  Marcy  a  look  of  admiration. 
"  It  was  a  gallant  deed." 

"I  was  there  when  she  was  taken,"  an- 
swered the  boy,  while  the  doctor  was  helping 
him  off  with  his  coat.  "Do  you  know  what 
become  of  her  crew  \  " 


THE  mate's  lucky  shot.  167 

'^Tliej''  were  paroled  and  sent  North  long 
ago.  We  didn't  want  such  folks  among 
us." 

"  But  they  are  not  prisoners  of  war." 

"  That  doesn't  matter.  They  had  to  promise 
that  they  would  not  take  up  arms  against  us 
until  they  were  regularly  exchanged  ;  and  if 
they  do,  and  we  find  it  out,  they  will  stand  a 
fine  chance  of  being  strung  up.  You've  got  a 
pretty  good  surgeon  aboard  your  ship,  and  he 
has  made  a  good  job  of  this.  I  wonder  if  I 
know  him.     Is  he  a  ISTewbern  man  ?" 

''No,  sir;  he  hails  from  up  toward  Ply- 
mouth. And  he  isn't  a  doctor,  either.  He's 
the  captain." 

''Oh,  ah!  "  said  the  surgeon,  who  was  very 
much  surprised  to  hear  it.  "I  see,  now  that  I 
come  to  look  at  it  closely,  that  it  is  not  quite 
as  straight  as  I  thought  it  was.  It  sticks  out 
a  little  on  this  side,  and  your  arm  will  always 
be  more  or  less  crooked.  It  is  unfortunate 
that  you  did  not  have  a  surgeon  aboard ;  but 
we  will  have  to  let  it  go." 

"Of  course  I  can't  do  duty  with  one  hand, 
said  Marcy,  "  and  so  the  captain  has  given  me 


168  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

leave  to  go  home  for  awhile.  I  can  travel  on 
the  cars,  I  suppose  ? ' ' 

"  There's  nothing  in  the  world  to  hinder  it," 
replied  the  medical  man,  who  seemed  on  a  sud- 
den to  have  lost  all  interest  in  Marcy  and  his 
injured  arm.  "I  will  do  it  up  again  and  give 
you  a  little  medicine,  and  you  will  get  along 
all  right.     It's  a  mere  trifle." 

When  Marcy  asked  what  his  bill  w^as,  he  told 
himself  that  he  made  a  mistake  when  he  said 
it  was  the  cax^tain  and  not  a  doctor  who  set 
his  arm,  for  the  surgeon  charged  him  a  good 
round  x)rice  for  his  trouble,  as  well  as  for  the 
little  bottle  of  tonic  he  wrapped  up  for  him  ; 
and  when  he  went  to  the  telegraph  office,  the 
operator  who  sent  off  a  dispatch  to  his  mother 
made  no  distinction  between  him  and  a  citizen. 
The  dispatch  ran  as  follows  : 

Arrived  from  Nassau  this  morning"  with  a  valuable 
cargo  after  a  running  fight  with  the  Yankees.  Had  two 
men  slightly  injured.  Will  leave  for  Boydtovvn  by 
first  train. 

"  After  mother  reads  that  she  will  not  be  so 
very  much  shocked  when  she  sees  me  with  my 


THE   mate's   lucky   SHOT.  169 

arm  in  a  sling,"  was  what  he  told  himself  as  he 
l^assed  the  dispatch  over  to  the  o^Derator. 

"Did  you  have  a  tight  with  one  of  the 
blockaders?"  asked  the  latter  carelessly. 
He  had  become  accustomed  to  the  sight  of 
wounded  men  since  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  was 
fought,  and  did  not  take  a  second  look  at 
Marcy. 

"It  wasn't  much  of  a  fight,  seeing  that  there 
w^as  but  one  shot  fired  on  our  side,"  answered 
the  pilot.  "But  that  one  shot  was  what 
brought  us  through.  It  wasn'  t  a  blockader, 
either,  but  a  launch  ;  and  if  you  want  to  see 
what  she  did  to  us,  step  down  to  the  wharf 
and  take  a  look  at  the  Hattie.  One  more 
round  of  canister  would  have  made  a  wreck 
of  us." 

"And  you  hajD^Dened  to  be  one  of  the  two 
w^ho  were  wounded,  I  reckon,"  said  the  oper- 
ator.    "Fifty  cents,  please." 

"The  last  time  I  sent  off  a  dispatch  from 
here  you  did  not  tax  me  a  cent  for  it,"  Marcy 
reminded  him.  "  Is  your  patriotism  on  the 
wane?" 

"  Not  much  ;  but  you  couldn't  expect  us  to 


170  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

keep  up  that  tliank-ye  business  forever,  could 
vou  ?  How  wouki  we  run  the  line  if  we  did  ? 
We  think  as  much  of  the  brave  boys  who  are 
standing  between  us  and  Lincoln' s  Abolitionists 
as  we  ever  did  ;  but  it  takes  the  hard  cash  to 
pay  operators  and  buy  x)oles  and  wires." 

Marcy  had  no  trouble  in  getting  his  check 
cashed,  and  when  he  went  back  to  the 
schooner  after  his  valise  and  bundles,  he  had 
twenty-one  hundred  dollars  in  his  pocket. 
But  there  were  seventeen  hundred  dollars  of  it 
that  did  not  belong  to  him.  He  was  only 
keeping  it  until  he  could  have  opportunity  to 
return  it  to  the  master  of  the  Mary  HolUns. 
He  found  that  Captain  Beardsley  had  gone 
ashore  with  his  agent,  and  as  Marcy  had 
already  said  good-bye  to  him,  it  was  not  neces- 
sary that  he  should  waste  any  valuable  time  in 
hunting  him  up.  He  took  a  hasty  leave  of  his 
shipmates,  hired  a  darkey  to  carry  his  luggage 
to  the  depot,  and  was  in  time  to  purchase  his 
ticket  for  a  train  that  was  on  the  point  of 
leaving  for  Goldsborough.  He  had  hardly 
settled  himself  in  his  seat  before  he  became 
aware  that  nearly  all  the  passengers  in  the  car 


THE   mate's   lucky   SHOT.  171 

were  looking  at  him,  and  finally  one  of  them 
came  and  seated  himself  by  his  side. 

*'  You  are  not  in  uniform,"  said  the  passen- 
ger, "but  all  the  same  I  take  it  for  granted 
that  it  was  the  Yankees  who  put  your  arm  in 
a  sling." 

*' Yes,  sir  ;  they  did  it,"  answered  Marcy. 

"Well,  now,  I  want  to  know  if  it's  a  fact 
that  the  Yankees  outnumbered  us  two  to  one 
in  that  fight,"  continued  the  man. 

"You  refer  to  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  I 
suppose.  I  don't  know.  I  wasn' t  there,  and 
I  don't  hesitate  to  say  that  I  am  glad  of  it. 
One  howitzer  is  as  much  as  I  care  to  face.  I 
got  this  hurt  while  coming  into  Crooked  Inlet 
on  the  schooner  Hattie.  She's  a  blockade- 
runner.  ' 

"Oh !  well,  if  there's  going  to  be  a  war,  as 
some  people  seem  to  think,  you  blockade-run- 
ners will  be  of  quite  as  much  use  to  the  Con- 
federacy as  the  soldiers.  We  shall  be  dex)en- 
dent  upon  foreign  governments  for  many 
things  that  we  used  to  get  from  the  North,  and 
men  like  you  will  have  to  supply  us.  AYas  it 
much  of  a  fight  ?" 


172  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 


Marcy  briefly  related  the  story,  and  when  it 
was  finished  the  man  went  back  to  his  old  seat ; 
but  during  the  journey  the  young  pilot  was 
obliged  to  tell  more  than  a  score  of  i:)eople  that 
he  was  not  i^resent  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
and  consequently  could  not  have  got  his  injury 
there.  He  kei)t  his  ears  open  all  the  way,  and 
was  gratified  to  learn  that  the  Confederates  had 
not  followed  up  their  victory,  that  they  were 
not  in  Washington,  and  that  there  was  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  they  had  any  intention 
of  going  there  immediately ;  and  he  thought 
he  knew  the  reason  why,  when  he  heard  one  of 
the  passengers  say  that  a  few  more  victories 
like  Bull  Run  would  ruin  the  Confederacy. 

At  an  early  hour  the  next  morning  Marcy 
stepped  off  the  train  at  Boyd  town  and  found 
Morris  waiting  for  him.  That  faithful  servitor' s 
eyes  grew  to  twice  their  usual  dimensions  when 
he  saw  his  young  master  with  his  arm  in  a 
sling,  and  without  waiting  to  learn  the  extent 
of  his  injuries,  he  broke  out  into  loud  lamen- 
tations, and  railed  at  the  Yankees  in  such  a 
way  that  the  by-standers  were  led  to  believe 
that  old  Morris  was  the  best  kind  of  a  rebel. 


THE   MATE  S   LUCKY   SHOT.  173 

"The  Missus  done  tole  me  two  men  shot  on 
the  Hattie^  and  las'  night  I  dreamed  you  one 
of  'em,"  said  he. 

' '  Silence !"  whispered  Marcy  angrilj^ ;  ' '  can' t 
you  see  that  you  are  drawing  the  attention 
of  all  the  peoiDle  on  the  platform  by  your 
loud  talking?  I  wasn't  shot,  either.  Come 
to  the  carriage  and  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it.'' 

Even  after  Morris  had  been  assured  that  the 
young  pilot  had  merely  been  knocked  do^vn  by 
a  splinter,  Marcy  didn't  tell  him  that  that 
"  splinter"  w^eighed  between  lif  teen  and  twenty 
pounds,  for  he  knew  it  w^ould "  get  to  his 
mother's  ears  if  he  did  ;  and  that  his  injuries 
w^ere  by  no  means  serious  ;  the  old  slave  was 
not  satisfied,  but  continued  to  scold  and  fume 
at  such  a  rate  that  Marcy  was  glad  when  the 
carriage  whirled  through  the  gate  and  drew^  \v^ 
at  the  steps,  at  the  top  of  which  his  mother 
stood  w^aiting  to  receive  him. 

"Da'  he  is.  Missus;  but  the  Yankees  done 
kill  him,"  exclaimed  Morris,  opening  and 
shutting  the  carriage  door  with  a  bang,  as  if 
he  hoped  in  that  way  to  W' ork  off  some  of  his 
excitement. 


CHAPTER  YIIL 

A   NOISE  AT   THE   WINDOW. 

MRS.  GRAY'S  countenance  grew  white 
with  alarm.  She  flew  down  the  steps, 
and  throwing  both  her  arms  about  her  son's 
neck,  hid  her  face  on  his  shoulder  and  sobbed 
violently.  Marcy  put  his  uninjured  arm 
around  her,  and  his  mother  leaned  so  heavily 
upon  it  that  the  boy  thought  she  was  going  to 
faint. 

''Now  see  what  you  have  done,  you  black 
rascal,  by  wagging  your  tongue  so  freely," 
said  Marcy  angrily.  "I've  the  best  notion  in 
the  world  to  have  you  sent  to  the  field." 

"But,  moster,"  protested  the  frightened 
coachman,   "de  Yankees  did  shoot " 

"Hold  your  tongue!  If  you  lisp  another 
word  I  will  have  you  sent  to  the  overseer  as 
sure  as  you  are  a  living  darkey.  Now  take 
those  things  out  of  the  carriage  and  put  them 
in  my  room ;  and  when  you  have  done  that,  go 

174 


A   NOISE  AT   THE   WINDOW.  175 

off  somewliere  and  spend  an  hour  or  two  every 
day  telling  the  truth,  so  that  you  will  get  used 
to  it.  Come  into  the  house,"  he  added  gentl}^, 
leading  his  mother  up  the  steps,  "and  I  will 
tell  you  all  about  it.  I  wasn't  shot.  I  was 
struck  by  a  splinter." 

"Oh,  Marcy,"  sobbed  Mrs.  Gray,  "your 
face  tells  a  different  story.  You  have  suffered 
— you  are  suffering  now  ;  and  there  isn't  a  par- 
ticle of  color  in  your  cheeks.  Don't  try  to  de- 
ceive me,  for  I  must  know  the  worst  sooner  or 
later." 

."  I  am  not  trying  to  deceive  you,"  answered 
Marcy,  although  he  loas  trying  to  break  the 
disagreeable  news  as  gently  as  he  could.  "I 
was  knocked  down  by  a  sx)linter  and  my  arm 
was  broken." 

"There  now,"  began  his  mother. 

"  But  it's  all  right,"  Marcy  hastened  to  add. 
"  Beardsley  set  the  bone  in  less  than  three 
hours  after  it  was  broken,  and  the  surgeon  I 
consulted  in  Newbern  said  he  made  a  good  job 
of  it.  I  don't  know  wdiat  you.  think  about  it, 
but  I  am  not  sorry  it  happened." 

"Oh,  Marcy!  why  do  you  say  that?" 


176  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

''  Because  it  gave  me  a  chance  to  come  home. 
To  tell  you  the  truth,  blockade  running  is  get- 
ting to  be  a  dangerous  business.  We  had  four 
narrow  escapes  this  trii3.  Beardsley's  impu- 
dence and  a  Union  captain's  simplicity  brought 
us  out  of  the  first  scrape,  a  storm  came  to  our 
aid  in  the  second,  sheer  good  luck  and  a  favor- 
ing breeze  saved  us  in  the  third,  and  a  shot 
from  the  second  mate's  revolver  brought  us  out 
of  the  fourth.  We  are  liable  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  cruisers  any  day  ;  and  suppose  I 
had  been  captured  and  thrown  into  a  Northern 
prison !  You  might  not  have  seen  me  again  for 
a  year  or  two  ;  perhaps  longer.  Bring  those 
bundles  in  here  and  take  the  valise  upstairs," 
he  added  to  the  coachman,  who  just  then 
passed  along  the  hall  with  Marcy's  luggage  in 
his  hands.  "  Open  that  bundle,  mother.  You 
need  not  be  ashamed  to  wear  those  dresses,  for 
they  ^veve  bought  in  IN'assau  with  honest  money 
— money  that  I  earned  by  doing  duty  as  a  fore- 
mast hand.  I  didn't  pay  any  duty  on  them  be- 
cause no  one  asked  me  for  it.  And  in  fact  I 
don't  know  whether  there  is  a  custom-house 
in  l^^ewbern  or  not.     The  box  in  the  other 


A   NOISE   AT  THE   WINDOW.  177 

bundle   contains   nothing  but  bottles  of  qui- 
nine." 

"  What  induced  you  to  get  so  much  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Grray,  who  had  wiped  away  her  tears  and 
was  trying  to  look  cheerful  again. 

"Captain  Beardsley  first  called  my  attention 
to  the  fact  that  medicine  had  gone  uj)  in  price, 
and  I  saw  by  a  paper  I  got  in  Nassau  that  the 
rebels  are  already  smuggling  quinine  across  the 
Potom.ac,"  answered  Marcy.  "  There's  a  good 
deal  of  ague  about  here,  and  we'd  be  in  a  pretty 
fix  if  we  should  all  get  down  wdtli  it,  and  no 
medicine  in  the  house  to  helj)  us  out."  Here 
he  got  up  and  drew  his  chair  closer  to  his 
mother's  side,  adding  in  a  whisper,  "I've 
twenty-one  hundred  dollars  in  gold  in  my  va- 
lise, lacking  what  I  paid  for  my  railroad  ticket, 
and  nearly  four  hundred  dollars  of  it  belongs 
to  me.  The  rest  belongs  to  the  captain  of  the 
HolUnsy 

"Do  you  still  cling  to  the  hope  that  you  wall 
some  day  meet  him  again  ?"  asked  his  mother. 

"  I  know  it  will  be  like  hunting  for  a  needle 
in  a  haystack,  but  if  I  don't  find  him  I  shall 
have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  1  tried 

12 


178  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

to,  and  that  I  haven't  spent  any  of  his  money. 
I'll  keep  it  locked  in  my  trunk  until  my  arm 
gets  so  that  I  can  handle  a  spade,  and  then  I'll 
hide  it  in  one  of  the  flower  beds.  Now,  how 
is  everything  about  home  ?  Has  Kelsey  shown 
his  ugly  face  here  since  I  went  away,  or  have 
you  heard  anything  from  those  '  secret  ene- 
mies '  that  Wat  Gifford  spoke  of  ?  How  has 
Hanson  behaved  himself  ? " 

Mrs.  Gray's  report  was  so  satisfactory  that 
Marcy  was  put  quite  at  his  ease.  She  had  had 
nothing  to  worry  over,  she  told  him,  except,  of 
course,  his  absence  and  Jack's,  and  if  she  had 
not  received  so  many  warnings  she  would  not 
have  suspected  that  there  were  such  things  as 
secret  enemies  around  her.  But  she  had  re- 
laxed none  of  her  vigilance,  and  was  always  on 
her  guard  when  any  of  the  neighbors  came  to 
see  her.  It  was  a  dreadful  way  to  live,  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it. 

By  the  time  Marcy  had  removed  some  of  the 
stains  of  travel  from  his  face  and  clothing, 
supper  was  announced  ;  and  as  he  had  to  talk 
about  something  during  the  meal,  lie  enter- 
tained his  mother  with  a  minute  description  of 


A   NOISE   AT  THE   WINDOW.  179 

tlie  exciting  incidents  that  happened  during 
the  Hattie' s  homeward  run.  He  could  talk  of 
these  things  in  his  ordinary  tone  of  voice,  and 
he  did  not  care  Avho  overheard  him.  More 
than  that,  he  was  satisfied  that  every  word  he 
uttered  in  the  presence  of  the  girl  who  waited 
at  table  would  go  straight  to  Hanson's  ears, 
and  he  was  really  talking  for  Hanson's  benefit. 
He  retired  at  an  early  hour,  after  his  arm  had 
been  bathed  and  bandaged  again  (his  mother 
could  not  keep  back  her  tears  when  she  saw 
how  inflamed  and  angry  it  looked),  and  left 
his  lamj)  burning,  as  he  had  done  every  night 
since  his  friend  Gifford  dropped  that  hint 
about  a  visit  from  an  organized  band  of  'long- 
shoremen. Before  he  got  into  bed  he  unlocked 
his  valise  and  took  from  it  two  things  that  his 
mother  knew  nothing  about, — a  brace  of  heavy 
revolvers, — which  he  placed  where  he  could  get 
his  hands  upon  them  at  a  moment's  warning. 
"Thank  goodness  the  old  flag  is  above  me 
once  more,  and  not  that  secession  rag  that 
Beardsley  seems  to  be  so  proud  of,"  thought 
Marcy,  as  he  pounded  his  pillow  into  shape 
and  drew  the  quilts  over  his  shoulders.     "If 


180  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

Colonel  Shelby  and  the  rest  knew  that  there 
are  two  Union  flags  somewhere  among  these 
bedclothes,  how  long  do  you  suppose  this 
house  would  stand  ?  If  those  men  are  such 
good  rebels,  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  under- 
stand why  they  don't  go  into  the  service,  in- 
stead of  staying  at  home  and  making  trouble 
for  their  neighbors.  I  should  think  they 
would  be  ashamed  of  themselves." 

There  were  plenty  of  such  men  all  over  the 
South,  and  Marcy  Gray  was  not  the  only  one 
who  wondered  why  they  did  not  hasten  to  the 
front,  seeing  that  they  were  so  very  hostile  to 
the  Yankees  and  their  sympathizers,  and  pro- 
fessed so  much  zeal  for  the  cause  of  Southern 
independence.  His  cousin  Rodney  often  asked 
himself  the  same  question  while  Dick  Graham 
was  staying  at  his  father's  house,  waiting  for 
a  chance  to  get  across  the  Mississippi  Eiver. 
Tom  Randolph,  who  could  not  forget  that  Cap- 
tain Hubbard's  Rangers  had  refused  to  give 
him  the  ofiice  he  wanted,  was  Rodney's  evil 
genius.  Although  Tom  became  in  time  com- 
mander of  a  small  company  of  Home  Guards, 
he  could  be  for  the  old  flag  or  against  it,  as 


A   NOISE  AT  THE   WINDOW.  181 

circumstances  seemed  to  require.  When  the 
Union  forces  took  possession  of  Baton  Rouge 
and  the  gunboats  anchored  in  front  of  the  city, 
Randoli^h  sent  more  than  one  squad  of  Yankee 
cavalry  to  search  Mr.  Gray's  house  for  fire- 
arms, and  took  measures  to  keep  Rodney, 
Dick  Graham,  and  the  other  discharged  Con- 
federates in  constant  trouble  ;  but  when 
General  Breckenridge  and  his  army  appeared, 
and  it  began  to  look  as  though  the  rebels  were 
about  to  drive  the  Union  forces  out  and  take 
possession  of  Baton  Rouge  and  the  surround- 
ing country,  Tom  Randolj)!!  gave  his  scouts 
the  names  of  all  the  Union  men  in  Mooreville 
and  vicinity,  and  of  course  they  did  not  escape 
persecution.  But  Tom,  sly  as  he  was,  could 
not  play  a  double  part  forever.  His  sin  found 
him  out  and  his  punishment  came  close  u]Don 
the  heels  of  it.  We  shall  tell  all  about  it  in 
its  i)roper  place. 

Having  no  watch  to  stand  on  this  particular 
night,  and  having  no  fear  of  capture  by 
cruisers  or  a  fight  with  armed  steam  launches, 
Marcy  soon  fell  asleep,  to  be  awakened  about 
midnight  by  a  sound  that  sent  the  cold  chills 


182  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNEK. 

all  over  him.  He  could  not  have  told  just 
what  it  was,  but  all  the  same  it  frightened  him. 
He  sat  up  in  bed  and  pulled  one  of  his 
revolvers  from  under  his  pillow.  He  listened 
intently,  and  in  a  few  seconds  the  sound  was 
repeated.  Then  he  knew  that  it  was  made  by 
a  pebble  which  some  one  in  the  yard  below 
had  tossed  against  his  window.  It  was  a 
signal  of  some  sort,  but  who  made  it,  and  why 
should  the  visitor,  whoever  he  might  be,  seek 
to  arouse  him  without  disturbing  his  mother  ? 

"  By  gracious  !  "  thought  Marcy,  resting  his 
revolver  on  his  knee  with  the  muzzle  turned 
toward  the  window,  as  if  he  half  expected  to 
see  some  one  try  to  force  an  entrance  there. 
"  What  can  it  mean  1  It  may  be  a  dangerous 
piece  of  business  to  draw  the  curtain  and  open 
that  window,  for  how  do  I  know  but  that 
there's  somebody  below  waiting  for  a  chance  to 
pop  me  over  ?  How  do  I  know  but  those  'long- 
shoremen have  come  up " 

When  this  thought  x>assed  through  the  boy's 
mind  his  fear  gave  place  to  indignation ;  and 
hesitating  no  longer  he  threw  off  the  bed- 
clothes and  advanced  toward  the  window,  just 


A   NOISE  AT  THE   WINDOW.  183 

as  another  pebble  rattled  against  it.  He 
dashed  the  curtain  aside,  threw  up  the  sash, 
and  thrust  his  head  and  his  revolver  out  of  the 
window.  The  night  was  so  dark  that  he  could 
not  see  a  thing  except  the  dark  sky  and  the 
darker  shadows  of  the  trees  against  it. 

"Who's  there  ?  "  he  demanded.  "  Speak 
quick." 

"  The  despot's  heel  is  on  thy  shore  ; 

His  torch  is  at  thy  temple  door. 
Avenge  the  patriotic  gore 

That  flecks  the  streets  of  Baltimore, 
And  be  the  battle  queen  of  yore — 

Maryland  !  my  Maryland  !  " 

That  was  the  answer  he  received  to  his  chal- 
lenge. It  was  given  in  a  voice  that  he  had 
never  heard  before,  and  Marcy  was  so  utterly 
amazed  that  lie  could  not  interrupt  the  speaker, 
or  sav  a  word  himself  when  the  verse  was  con- 
eluded.  It  was  part  of  a  rebel  song  that  had 
recently  become  very  i3opular  in  Baltimore, 
but  it  had  not  yet  reached  North  Carolina. 
For  only  an  instant,  however,  did  Marcy  stand 
motionless  and  speechless,  and  then  he  pointed 


184  MAIICY,    THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNEK. 

liis  weapon  in  tlie  direction  from  Avhich  tlie 
voice  sounded,  saying  in  steady  tones : 

"If  you  don't  give  me  an  answer  tliat  I  can 
understand,  I'll  cut  loose.     Who  are  you  ?" 

"  I  am  a  homeless,  friendless  smuggler,"  re- 
plied the  voice  ;  and  at  the  same  instant  a 
familiar  bark,  follow^ed  by  an  impatient  whine, 
told  the  astonished  Marcy  that  his  faithful 
watchman,  Bose,  was  under  the  window  with 
the  stranger.  The  unexpected  discovery  made 
every  nerve  in  his  body  tingle  with  excitement, 
and  his  next  words  were  uttered  in  a  husky 
and  indistinct  tone. 

"Jack!"  he  exclaimed.  "Oh,  Jack!  Is 
that  you  ^ " 

"It's  I,"  answered  the  visitor,  speaking  in 
his  natural  voice  this  time.  "I'm  here  safe 
and  sound,  and  none  the  worse  for  having  been 
a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  that  pirate.  Captain 
Semmes." 

"  Go  round  to  the  front  door  and  I  will  be 
right  down,"  said  Marcy,  in  suppressed  tones. 
He  could  not  imagine  why  his  brother  should 
make  his  presence  known  in  this  guarded  way 
instead  of  boldly  demanding  admittance  at  the 


A   NOISE  AT   THE   WINDOW.  185 

door,  but  lie  knew  that  there  was  some  reason 
for  it  and  conducted  himself  accordingly.  He 
moved  about  his  room  very  quietly  while  he 
dressed  himself  as  well  as  he  could  with  only 
one  hand  to  work  with,  and  then  he  caught  up 
the  lamp,  hurried  downstairs  and  made  his 
way  to  his  mother's  room.  His  low  tap  met 
with  an  instant  response. 

''Oh,  mother,"  exclaimed  Marcy,  "Jack's 
come  home,  and  he's  Union." 

"Of  course  he  is  for  the  Union,"  answered 
Mrs.  GraA^  calmly,  although  she  was  almost 
as  liiglil}^  excited  as  Marcy  was.  "I  have 
never  thought  of  him  as  being  a  rebel." 

"  The  rebels  had  him  prisoner,"  added 
Marcy  ;  and  with  this  bit  of  news  to  add  to  his 
mother's  excitement,  the  boy  ran  to  the  front 
door.  The  moment  he  oj^ened  it  a  stalwart 
young  fellow  si^rang  u^^on  the  threshold  with 
his  arms  spread  out  ;  but  he  stopped  sud- 
denly when  his  eyes  fell  upon  Marcy' s  white 
face  and  upon  the  sling  in  which  he  carried  his 
left  hand. 

"What's  happened  to  you?"  he  demanded, 
as  soon  as  he  could  speak. 


186  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

"  I  got  that  while  helping  Captain  Beardsley 
run  a  cargo  of  contraband  goods  through 
Crooked  Inlet,"  replied  Marcy,  laughing  at  the 
expression  of  surprise  and  disgust  that  came 
upon  the  young  sailor's  bronzed  face  as  he 
listened  to  the  words.  "  First  I  was  a  priva- 
teer and  now  I  am  a  blockade-runner." 

"  There  must  be  some  good  reason  for  it,  be- 
cause I  know  as  well  as  you  do  that  you  do 
not  belong  on  that  side  of  the  house,"  said  the 
returned  wanderer,  closing  and  locking  the 
door  after  beckoning  to  Bose,  who  was  never 
permitted  to  enter  the  house  except  upon  extra- 
ordinary occasions.  "I  had  a  fine  chance  to 
become  a  rebel  pirate.  When  the  prize-master 
who  was  put  aboard  of  us  after  we  were  cap- 
tured, found  that  I  was  from  a  seceded  State, 
he  promised  if  I  would  ship  on  the  Sumter  to 
ask  Captain  Semmes " 

Just  at  this  point  the  young  sailor  looked 
over  his  brothsr's  shoulder  and  saw  his  mother 
coming  along  the  hall.  A  second  later  he  held 
her  clasped  in  his  arms.  She  looked  very 
small  and  frail  while  standing  beside  that  tall, 
broad-shouldered  son,  who  was  as  fine  a  speci- 


A  NOISE   AT  THE   WINDO^V.  187 

men  of  an  American  sailor  as  could  be  found 
anywhere  outside  of  Xew  England.  Although 
he  was  but  three  years  older  than  Marcy,  who 
was  by  no  means  a  puny  fellow,  he  stood  head 
and  shoulders  above  him,  and  was  built  like  a 
yoimg  Hercules.  It  was  little  wonder  that 
Mrs.  Gray  and  Marcy  had  awaited  his  coming 
with  the  greatest  anxiety  and  impatience,  or 
that  the  former  should  say  to  himself  :  "From 
this  time  on  I  can  sleep  in  peace.  Jack's  got 
home  and  mother's  property  is  safe." 

"Now  that  you  have  got  through  saying 
Hiallo,'  rd  like  to  have  you  tell  me  why  you 
came  home  like  a  thief  in  the  night  instead  of 
knocking  at  the  door,"  said  Marcy.  '*  I  don't 
know  when  I  have  been  so  frightened." 

"  Aha!  That  shows  that  I  did  not  make  a 
mistake  in  going  to  so  much  trouble  to  be  on 
the  safe  side.  You  are  afraid  of  the  neighbors, 
are  you  ?  I  read  the  papers  when  I  could 
get  them,  and  among  other  things  I  learned 
that  the  South  is  divided  against  itself,  and 
that  few  men  know  for  certain  who  their  friends 
are.     Let's  go  somewhere  and  sit  down." 

Jack  led  his  mother  into  the  sitting-room. 


188  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

Marcy  following  with  the  lamp,  and  taking 
care  to  see  that  all  the  doors  were  closed  be- 
fore he  seated  himself. 

"I  should  judge  from  your  actions,  Marcy, 
that  this  family  is  divided  against  itself,  and 
that  you  are  afraid  to  trust  the  servants,"  said 
Jack.  "  If  that's  the  case,  the  papers  told  the 
truth.  Now  tell  me  how  you  got  that  bad  arm. 
Were  you  shot  ?  " 

Marcy  did  not  spend  much  time  on  his  story, 
for  he  was  impatient  to  learn  when  and  where 
his  brother  had  been  captured,  and  how  he  had 
managed  to  escape  after  a  prize  crew  had  been 
thrown  aboard  his  vessel.  He  simply  told  of 
his  experience  in  the  blockade-runner  Hattle, 
leaving  his  exploits  in  the  Osjgrey  to  be  nar- 
rated at  some  future  time. 

"I  am  glad  the  Hattle  got  through  the 
blockade  all  right  seeing  that  you  were  aboard 
of  her,"  said  Jack,  when  Marcy  brought  his 
story  to  a  close.  ''But  if  Uncle  Sam  doesn't 
do  something  to  break  up  blockade-running, 
he'll  have  a  Avar  on  his  hands  that  will  make 
him  open  his  eyes.  It  will  not  take  me  five 
minutes  to  tell  my  story.     I  was  a  prisoner  not 


A   NOISE   AT  THE   WINDOW.  189 

more  than  twelve  hours,  and  during  that  time 
not  the  first  exciting  thing  happened.  If  it 
hadn't  been  for  the  fact  that  there  was  a  strange 
officer  in  command  of  the  brig,  and  that  our 
okl  man  was  walking  around  with  his  hands  in 
his  pockets,  saying  nothing,  we  wouldn't  have 
known  that  we  were  prisoners  at  all." 

With  tliis  introduction  the  returned  sailor 
settled  into  an  easy  position  among  the  sofa 
pillows  and  related  his  experience  very  nearly 
as  follows,  with  this  exception  :  He  quite  for- 
got to  say  that  he  was  the  one  who  first  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  taking  the  Sabine  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  prize  crew  that  Semmes  had 
j)laced  aboard  of  her,  and  that,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  his  courage  and  prompt  action,  the 
brig  would  either  have  been  sold  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  Confederate  Government,  or  burned 
in  the  Caribbean  Sea  after  her  neutral  cargo 
had  been  put  ashore. 

It  happened  on  the  morning  of  July  4,  and 
the  Sabine,  in  company  with  the  brig  Herndon, 
was  sailing  along  the  southern  coast  of  Cuba, 
having  recently  left  the  i^ort  of  Trinidad-de- 
Cuba  with  a  cargo  of  sugar  and  molasses,  which 


190  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE  RUNNER. 

was  consigned  to  an  English  port  in  the  Island 
of  Jamaica.  Although  there  was  some  sea  on 
and  rain  squalls  were  frequent,  there  was  but 
little  breeze,  and  consequently  the  Sabine 
could  not  have  run  into  neutral  waters  even  if 
second  mate  Jack  Gray,  who  had  charge  of  the 
deck,  had  known  that  the  steamer  that  was 
bearing  down  upon  her  was  the  freebooter, 
Sumter. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  neutral  waters  ? " 
Marcy  wanted  to  know. 

"Why,  every  countr^^  that  owns  a  strip  of 
seacoast  owns  also  the  waters  for  three  miles 
out,"  replied  Jack.  "  And  inside  of  that 
marine  league,  as  it  is  called,  the  cruisers  of 
one  nation  mustn't  trouble  the  ships  of  another 
with  which  it  happens  to  be  at  war.  For  ex- 
ample, if  two  armed  vessels  belonging  to  two 
different  nations  who  are  at  loggerheads,  hap- 
pen to  sail  into  the  same  neutral  port,  they 
can't  fight  there,  but  must  go  outside  ;  and  if 
one  of  them  runs  out,  the  other  must  wait 
twenty-four  hours  before  following  her." 

The  coast  of  Cuba  was  in  jilain  view  wlien 
the  Sumter  was  sighted,  but  as  there  was  little 


A   NOISE  AT   THE   WINDOW.  101 

breeze  stirring,  and  the  brigs  could  not  escape, 
Captain  Semmes  was  not  obliged  to  resort  to 
the  cowardly  trick  he  usually  practiced — that 
is,  hoisting  the  English  ensign  to  quiet  the 
fears  of  the  crew  of  the  unlucky  vessels  he 
intended  to  destroy.  He  began  business  at 
once  ;  and  the  first  thing  that  drew  the  atten- 
tion of  second  mate  Jack  Gray,  as  he  planked 
the  quarter-deck  thinking  of  almost  every- 
thing except  Confederate  war  vessels,  Avas  the 
roar  of  a  thirty-two  pounder.  Jack  looked  up 
to  see  a  thick  cloud  of  white  smoke  floating 
slowly  away  from  the  side  of  the  steamer,  and 
to  take  note  of  the  fact  that  a  peculiar  looking 
flag  floated  from  her  i^eak.  Jack  had  never 
seen  it  before,  but  he  knew  in  a  minute  Avhat 
it  was.  At  the  same  time  he  noticed  that  the 
Herndon^  which  was  half  a  mile  or  so  in  ad- 
vance of  the  SaMne^  had  backed  her  main 
topsail  and  hoisted  her  own  colors — the  Stars 
and  Stripes. 

"Tumble  up  here.  Captain,"  exclaimed 
Jack,  rushing  to  the  top  of  the  companion- 
ladder.  "There's  a  rebel  steamer  on  the  lee 
bow,  speaking  to  us." 


192  MAllCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

^'I  wondered  what  tliat  noise  was,"  said  the 

captain,    as   he   came   up   the    ladder  in   two 

jumps,  and  saw  that  a  boat  had  already  been 

lowered  from  the  steamer  and  Avas  jputting  off 

'  to  take  charge  of  the  Herndon. 

The  captain  knew  that  there  were  rebel 
privateers  afloat,  for  in  a  foreign  j^ort  he  had 
read  of  the  escaj^e  of  the  Savannah  from 
Charleston  on  June  2,  and  of  the  inglorious 
ending  of  her  short  career  as  a  freebooter. 
The  Savannah  captured  one  merchantman 
with  a  cargo  of  sugar,  and  afterward  gave 
chase  to  a  brig,  which  turned  out  to  be  the 
man  of  war  Perry.  The  SavannaJi  was  cajD- 
tured  after  a  little  race,  and  her  crew  were 
sent  to  JN'ew  York  as  prisoners.  But  the 
captain  of  the  Sahlne  never  knew  until  that 
moment  that  the  rebels  had  let  loose  steam 
vessels  to  prey  upon  the  commerce  of  the 
Northern  States.  He  looked  at  the  "pirate,  " 
which,  having  sent  off  a  boat  to  complete  the 
capture  of  the  Herndon^  had  put  herself  in 
motion  again  and  was  drawing  closer  to  the  Sa- 
huie^  glanced  uj)  at  the  sails,  and  then  turned 
his  wistful  eyes  toward  the  Cuban  coast  line. 


A  NOISE  AT  THE   WINDOW.  193 

*' There  isn't  tlie  gliost  of  a  chance,"  said 
Jack,  who  easily  read  the  thoughts  that  were 
passing  in  the  mind  of  his  commander.  ''If 
we  try  to  run  and  she  doesn'  t  feel  like  chasing 
us,  she'll  shoot  us  into  little  bits." 

"She's  got  five  guns,''  remarked  the  first 
mate,  who  was  making  a  close  examination  of 
the  steamer  through  the  sx)yglass.  "She's 
loading  one  of  them,  and  it  might  be  a  good 
X)lan  for  us  to  come  to  and  show  colors." 

These  words  brought  the  caj^tain  to  his 
senses.  He  gave  the  necessary  orders,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  brig  s  maintopsail  had  been 
backed  and  the  Union  emblem  was  floating 
from  her  peak.  There  were  an  astonished  lot 
of  men  aboard  of  her,  and  they  were  so  angry, 
too,  that  they  could  not  stand  still.  They 
clenched  their  hands  and  gritted  their  teeth 
when  they  saw  a  boat  filled  with  armed  men 
put  off  from  the  steamer,  and  when  the  board- 
ing ofiicer  came  over  the  side  and  informed  the 
captain  of  the  Sahine^  in  courteous  tones,  that 
his  vessel  was  a  prize  to  the  Confederate  cruiser 
Sumte7\  they  could  scarcely  control  them- 
selves. 

13 


194  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNJ^EK. 

"I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  give  in,"  said  the 
Yankee  skipper.  "Bat  I  tell  you  plainly  that 
if  I  had  five  guns  and  as  many  men  as  you've 
got,  one  or  the  other  of  us  would  have  been  on 
his  way  to  the  bottom  before  this  time." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  doubt  that  you  would  make  us 
plenty  of  trouble  if  you  had  the  power,"  said 
the  rebel  officer,  with  a  smile.  "But,  fortu- 
nately, you  haven't  got  it.  I  shall  have  to  ask 
you  to  get  your  i3ai)ers  and  go  off  to  the  ^um- 
ter  with  me.  What's  your  cargo,  v/liere  from, 
and  whither  bound?"  he  added,  turning  to 
Jack,  when  the  captain  had  disa2ii3eared  in  the 
cabin. 

The  second  mate  did  not  w^aste  any  time  or 
words  in  giving  the  desired  information. 

"Ah!  A  neutral  cargo  bound  from  one 
neutral  port  to  another,"  said  the  officer.  .  "I 
am  sorry  to  hear  that." 

"  Why  are  you  \  "    inquired  Jack. 

"Because  under  the  circumstances  we  can- 
not destroy  your  vessel." 

"What's  the  use  of  being  so  mean  just 
because  you  haj)i3en  to  possess  the  power?" 
said  Jack. 


A   NOISE   AT   THE   WINDOW.  195 


''Young  man,"  replied  the  officer  sharply, 
"we  are  bound  to  harass  you  Yankees  all  we 
can  and  in  every  way  we  can.  That's  what 
your  x3eople  are  doing  to  us.  But  what  else 
can  we  do  ?  France  and  England  have  de- 
nied us  the  i^rivilege  of  taking  our  prizes 
into  any  of  their  ports,  and  there's  but  one 
course  left  for  lis  to  pursue.  But  Spain  has 
n't  spoken  yet,  and  perhaps  we  shall  test  her 
friendship  for  us  by  taking  you  into  a  Cuban 
port." 

Things  turned  out  just  as  the  boarding  officer 
thought  they  would.  The  captain  of  the  brig 
was  taken  off  to  the  Sumter,  and  after  his 
papers  had  been  examined  he  was  sent  back, 
and  a  j)rize  crew,  consisting  of  a  midshipman 
and  four  sailors,  was  placed  on  board  the  brig. 
Both  prizes  were  then  taken  in  tow  by  the 
Sumter,  which  steamed  away  for  the  harbor  of 
Cienfuegos,  Captain  Semmes  laboring  under 
the  delusion  that  Spain  would  permit  him  to 
have  his  Yankee  i^rizes  condemned  and  sold  in 
a  Spanish  port.  The  Confederate  midshipman 
commanded  the  brig,  the  Yankee  sailors  sul- 
lenly performed  the  little  work  there  w^as  to 


196  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

be  done,  and  the  four  Confederate  sailors  stood 
around  and  kept  watcli  of  them. 

Only  one  thing  that  was  worthy  of  note 
occurred  during  the  day.  The  Sumter  steamed 
slowly  along  the  coast,  making  not  more  than 
five  knots  an  hour,  and  the  Yankee  sailors, 
enraged  over  the  loss  of  their  vessel,  and  look- 
ing forward  to  nothing  else  but  a  long  term  of 
confinement  in  a  Southern  x)rison,  were  very 
uneasy,  and  naturally  enough  they  wanted  to 
exchange  ojiinions  on  the  situation  ;  but  that 
was  something  the  midshipman  would  not 
permit.  He  was  vigilant,  and  would  not  allow 
the  brig's  crew  to  get  together  for  fear  that 
they  might  hatch  up  a  j)lan  for  recapturing 
their  x^roperty.  If  a  couple  of  them  got  near 
enough  together  to  whisper  a  few  words  to 
each  other,  he  would  call  out  roughly  : 

'^AYliat  are  you  about,  there?  Get  farther 
apart,  you  two." 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  until  night 
came  and  darkness  settled  down  over  the  Car- 
ibbean Sea,  and  then  Captain  Semmes  himself 
did  something  that  caused  the  heart  of  every 
one  of  the  Sabine' s  crew  to  beat  high  with  hope. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    "  SUMTER "    LOSES   A   PRIZE. 

WHILE  the  majority  of  the  Sabine's  crew 
chafed  and  fretted  like  captive  birds 
whicli  beat  their  wings  against  the  bars  of 
their  cage  to  no  iiiirpose,  there  were  two  who 
stood  aloof  from  every  one  and  from  eacli  other; 
who  never  spoke  a  word,  but  who  nevertheless 
came  to  a  perfect  understanding  through  the 
interchange  of  frequent  and  expressive  glances. 
They  were  the  captain  and  Jack  Gray.  Each 
one  knew  as  well  as  if  the  other  had  explained 
it  to  him,  that  both  had  resolved  upon  the 
same  thing— that  before  the  sun  rose  again 
the  Scibine  must  be  taken  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  prize  crew,  and  her  course  shaj^ed  toward 
a  Northern  x^ort,  no  matter  what  the  risk 
might  be. 

"  I  knew,  although  I  had  no  chance  to  speak 
to  the  old  man  about  it,  that  our  first  hard 
work  must  be  to  disarm  those  five  rebels,"  said 

197 


198  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 


Jack,  in  telling  liis  story.  "I  knew  it  would 
be  easy  enough  to  do  that  if  we  all  moved  to- 
gether, for  there  was  but  one  native  American 
in  the  prize  crew — the  midshipman — and  he 
was  a  little  whiffet  to  be  strangled  with  a  fin- 
ger and  thumb.  Even  the  fact  that  we  were  in 
the  middle  of  the  tow,  the  Sumter  ahead  and 
the  Herndon  behind,  wouldn't  have  made  any 
difference  to  us  if  we  had  had  control  of  the  brig, 
because  a  few  lusty  blows  with  an  axe  would 
have  severed  the  two  hawsers  and  the  darkness 
would  have  aided  us  in  making  our  escape;  but 
the  trouble  was,  the  elements  were  against  us. 
The  wind  would  not  come  up,  and  of  course  it 
would  be  of  no  use  for  us  to  take  the  brig  un- 
less we  had  a  breeze  to  help  us  draw  off." 

While  the  captain  and  his  vigilant  second 
mate  were  waiting  and  watching  in  the  hope 
that  something  might  unexpectedly  turn  up  in 
their  favor,  Captain  Semmes  came  to  their  aid. 
The  Sumter^  with  her  heavy  tow  and  little 
breeze  to  help  her,  was  making  headway  alto- 
gether too  slowly  to  suit  him  ;  and  besides,  it 
had  occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  well  to 
run  ahead  and  find  out  what  the  authorities  at 


THE    "  SUMTER"    LOSES   A   PRIZE.  199 

Cienf  uegos  thoiiglit  of  him  and  his  government, 
and  whether  or  not  thej^  woukl  permit  Yankee 
prizes  to  be  condemned  and  sold  in  that  port. 
The  first  intimation  the  brig's  crew  had  that 
Cax)tain  Semmes  was  about  to  cast  off  his  tow 
was  a  warnino"  whistle  from  the  Sumter.  Tliis 
was  followed  by  a  sudden  slackening  of  the 
hawser,  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  Sumter'' s 
black  hulk  showed  itself  on  the  starboard  bow. 
She  was  backing  water. 

Sabine  ahoy !  "  came  the  hail. 
On  board  the  Sumter P^    replied  the  mid- 
shipman. 

"Cast  off  the  Her ndon' s  hawser  and  stand 
by  to  jmss  it  aboard  of  us." 

The  midshipman  responded  with  an  "  Ay, 
ay,  sir  !  "  and  ordered  the  brig's  crew  to  lay 
aft  and  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  cast  off 
when  they  received  the  word.  It  took  half 
an  hour  to  transfer  the  line  from  one  vessel  to 
the  other  (it  was  accomplished  by  the  aid  of  a 
small  boat),  and  then  another  order  came  to 
the  prize-master  of  the  Sabine. 

"  Haul  in  your  own  hawser  and  make  sail 
and  follow  us  into  port,"  were  the  instructions 


200  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


lie  received,  and  which  he  at  once  proceeded  to 
act  upon.  He  did  not  notice,  however,  that 
the  first  man  to  seize  the  hawser  and  lay  out 
his  strength  upon  it  with  a  "Heave  yo !  All 
together  now,"  was  the  surly  second  mate,  who 
seemed  to  take  the  loss  of  his  vessel  so  much  to 
heart  that  he  hadn't  said  a  word  to  anybody 
since  the  prize  crew  was  put  aboard  of  her. 
But  Jack  Gray  was  there  with  an  object. 
When  the  end  of  the  hawser  had  been  wound 
around  the  capstan,  and  the  bars  were  shipped, 
he  took  pains  to  i)lace  himself  next  to  a  couple 
of  Green  Mountain  boys,  whose  courage  had 
been  proved  in  more  than  one  trying  ordeal. 

"  Heave  yo  !  'Round  she  goes.  Strike  up  a 
song,  somebody,"  shouted  Jack;  and  then  he 
leaned  over  and  spoke  so  that  not  only  the 
two  men  who  were  heaving  at  the  bar  with  him 
but  also  the  three  who  were  on  the  bar  in  front 
could  hear  every  word  he  said.  "Listen, 
boys,"  said  he  earnestly.  "  We're  going  to 
take  the  ship  out  of  the  hands  of  these  pirates. 
Put  a  handspike  or  an  axe  where  you  can  get 
your  hands  on  it,  and  be  ready  to  jump  the  in- 
stant the  old  man  or  I  make  a  move." 


THE    "  SUMTER"    LOSES   A   PRIZE.  201 

Jack  could  say  no  more  just  then,  for  in  liis 
progress  around  the  capstan  he  came  ox)posite 
the  place  where  the  midshipman  was  standing. 
He  breasted  the  bar  manfully  and  joined  in  the 
song,  looking  as  innocent  as  though  he  had 
never  thought  of  knocking  the  midshipman 
overboard  if  the  latter  gave  him  even  the 
shadow   of   a  chance  to  do  it. 

"I  knew  well  enough  that  you  cabin  fellows 
would  never  let  these  villains  get  away  with 
the  brig, ' '  said  the  man  on  his  left,  as  soon  as 
it  was  safe  for  him  to  speak.  ''Jump  as  soon 
as  you  get  ready  and  we'll  be  there.  What 
was  it  you  read  to  us  from  that  Mobile  paper 
you  brought  aboard  at  Rio — that  one  Southern 
gentleman  is  as  good  as  five  Northern  mud- 
sills? We  will  give  them  a  chance  to  prove  it." 

"Pass  the  Avord  among  the  boys  and  tell 
them  to  stand  bv  to  bear  a  hand  when  the 
time  comes,"  added  the  second  mate.  "But 
be  sly  about  it,  for  we  must  not  arouse  the  sus- 
picions of  these  rebels.  They  are  armed  and  we 
are  not." 

In  due  time  the  hawser  was  hauled  aboard 
and  stowed  away,  and  then  the  midshipman 


202       MARcr,  THE  blockade-kunner. 

prepared  to  make  sail  and  follow  the  Sumter^ 
wliicli  was  by  tliis  time  so  far  off  that  her 
lights  could  not  be  seen.  It  took  a  good  w^hile 
to  do  this,  and  once,  while  working  on  the  fore- 
yard,  Jack  was  delighted  to  find  himself  by 
his  captain's  side. 

"I  hope  that  rebel  officer  didn't  see  you 
come  uj),"  said  Jack.  "If  he  did  he  will  be 
on  his  guard,  and  then  good-by  to  all  our 
chances  of  taking  the  ship." 

"Do  you  take  me  for  a  dunce?"  asked  the 
captain,  in  reply.  "I  came  up  when  he  wasn't 
looking,  because  I  wanted  a  chance  to  say  a 
word  to  you." 

"I  know  what  you  would  say  if  you  had 
time,"  was  Jack's  answer.  "So  do  the  men. 
They  have  all  been  posted,  and  are  as  eager  to 
get  the  ship  back  as  you  can  i)ossibly  be." 

"Yery  good,"  said  the  captain,  who  w^as 
highly  gratified..  "Stand  by  the  companion- 
ladder  and  watch  all  that  goes  on  in  the 
cabin." 

Having  seen  the  last  sail  sheeted  home  Jack 
obeyed  the  order  to  "lay  down  from  aloft," 
and  engaged  the  midshipman  in  conversation 


THE    "  SUMTER  "    LOSES   A   PRIZE.  203 

to  give  the  captain  a  cliance  to  gain  the  deck 
without  being  discovered.  At  the  same  time 
he  noticed  that  the  long  wished  for  breeze  was 
springing  up,  and  that  everything  was  begin- 
ning to  draw  beautifully.  At  this  moment 
the  steward  came  ui3  from  the  cabin  and  ap- 
proached the  place  wdiere  they  were  standing. 

"You  haven't  had  any  supper,  sir,"  said  he, 
saluting  the  midshipman.  "Won't  you  come 
down  and  drink  a  cup  of  coffee  and  eat  an 
orange?" 

Jack  fairly  trembled  while  he  waited  for  the 
officer's  reply.  He  was  afraid  he  would  decline 
the  invitation — Jack  knew  he  would  have  done 
so  if  he  had  been  in  the  midshipman's  place, 
and  that  nothing  short  of  an  overpjowering 
force  would  have  taken  him  from  the  deck  so 
long  as  he  was  prize-master  of  the  brig.  But 
the  young  officer's  fears  had  not  only  been 
lulled  to  sleep  by  the  orderly  conduct  of  the 
Sabine's  crew,  which  led  him  to  believe  that 
they,  like  all  the  rest  of  their  countrymen, 
w^ere  too  co\Vardly  to  show  fight  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, but  he  was  tired  and  hungry,  and 
lie  thought  that  a  cup  of  coffee  and  something 


204  MAllCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNEK. 

good  to  eat  would  take  tlie  place  of  the  night's 
sleep  which  he  knew  he  w^as  going  to  lose.  Ac- 
cordingly he  followed  the  steward  toward  the 
cabin,  and  then  Jack  told  himself  that  some- 
thing was  about  to  happen — that  this  was  a 
part  of  the  captain's  plan  for  seizing  the  vessel. 
Jack  had  been  instructed  to  stand  at  the  top  of 
the  companion-ladder  and  watch  all  that  went 
on  below^,  and  in  order  that  he  might  carry  out 
those  instructions  wdthout  attracting  the  mid- 
shipman's attention,  he  quietly  removed  his 
shoes  and  stood  in  his  stocking  feet.  As  he 
was  about  to  start  for  the  j)ost  that  had  been 
assigned  him,  he  saw  an  opportunity  to  aid 
the  captain  that  was  too  good  to  be  lost.  Stand- 
ing within  less  than  ten  feet  of  him  was  one  of 
the  Confederate  sailors.  He  was  leaning  over 
the  rail  looking  down  into  the  water,  evi- 
dently in  a  brown  study.  He  held  his  musket 
clasi3ed  in  his  arms  in  a  position  something 
like  "arms  port,"  and  Jack  knew  that 
he  carried  his  revolver  on  the  right  side, 
that  the  butt  was  entirely  out  of  the 
holster,  and  that  there  was  no  strap  to  hold 
the  weapon  in  place.     He  had  taken  note  of 


THE    '' SUMTER  "    LOSES   A  PllIZE.  205 

these  facts  when  the  prize-crew  first  came  on 
board. 

Before  attempting  to  carry  out  the  desperate 
plan  he  had  so  suddenly  conceived  for  secur- 
ing this  particular  rebel,  Jack  swept  a  hasty 
glance  over  the  deck  to  calculate  his  chances 
for  success.  They  could  not  have  been  better. 
There  was  not  another  one  of  the  prize-crew  in 
sight ;  but  just  across  from  him,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  deck,  stood  Stebbins,  one  of  the 
Green  Mountain  boys  who  had  worked  at  the 
capstan  with  him.  Other  members  of  the  crew 
were  making  a  i)retense  of  being  busy  at  some- 
thing in  the  waist,  but  they  were  one  and  all 
keeping  a  close  watch  on  the  second  mate,  and 
there  were  hand-spikes,  axes,  or  belajdng-pins 
within  easy  reach.  Jack  made  a  warning  ges- 
ture to  Stebbins,  and  the  sailor  at  once  reached 
for  his  capstan-bar.  With  two  quick,  noise- 
less stex)s  Jack  x)laced  himself  close  behind  the 
dreaming  rebel,  and  thrusting  his  left  arm  over 
his  ■  shoulder  seized  his  musket  with  a  firm 
grasp,  while  at  the  same  time,  with  his  right 
hand,  he  deftly  slipped  the  revolver  from  its 
holster. 


206  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE- KUNNEK. 

''Not  a  word — not  a  wliisper  !  "  said  Jack, 
placing  the  muzzle  of  the  heavy  Colt  close  to 
the  rebel's  head.  "Let  go  that  gun.  Steb- 
bins,  take  off  his  cutlass  and  buckle  it  around 
your  own  waist." 

When  the  captive  recovered  himself  suffi- 
ciently to  look  around,  he  w^as  astonished  to  find 
that  he  was  confronted  by  four  of  the  brig's 
foremast  hands,  all  of  whom  carried  weapons 
of  some  sort,  which  they  held  threateningly 
over  his  head.  Tliere  was  no  help  for  it,  and 
he  was  prompt  to  obey  both  Jack's  orders  ; 
that  is  to  say,  he  gave  up  his  gun  and  kex)t  his 
lips  closed. 

"Lead  him  aft,  Stebbins,  and  stand  guard 
over  him  with  your  cutlass,"  commanded  Jack. 
"If  he  tries  to  run  or  give  w^arning  to  his  com- 
panions, cut  him  down.  Smith,  take  this  mus- 
ket and  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  me.  The  officer  is 
in  the  cabin,  and  I  don't  think  the  old  man 
means  to  let  him  come  out  very  soon." 

Stebbins  moved  off  with  his  prisoner.  Smith 
and  the  other  two  sailors  stationed  themselves 
where  they  could  see  everything  the  second 
mate  did,  and  the  latter  advanced  close  to  the 


THE    "  SUMTER  "   LOSES   A   PPwIZE.  207 

companies- way  so  that  he  could  look  down  and 
obtain  a  view   of   the  interior   of  the  cabin." 
At  the  very  first  glance  he  saw  something  to 
discourage  him. 

"  The  moment  the  old  man  told  me  to  watch 
all  that  went  on  in  the  cabin,  that  moment 
I  understood  his  plan,"  said  Jack.  "And 
when  I  afterward  comjjared  notes  with  him 
and  the  steward,  I  learned  that  I  had  made 
no  mistake.  The  captain  was  not  denied 
the  i^rivilege  of  going  in  and  out  of  his  cabin 
as  often  as  he  pleased,  and  that  was  one  place 
where  the  midshipman,  wdio  was  really  a  sharp 
officer,  did  wrong.  Another  wrong  move  he 
made  was  in  scattering  his  men  about  the 
deck.  If  he  had  kept  them  close  together,  so 
that  they  could  have  helped  one  another,  we 
never  could  have  taken  the  brig." 

It  was  during  one  of  these  visits  to  the  cabin 
that  the  captain  took  his  revolver  from  the 
place  in  which  he  had  concealed  it  when  he 
saw  the  prize-crew  coming  aboard,  and  put 
four  pairs  of  hand-cuffs  into  his  pockets ;  for 
when  the  rebel  boarding  officer  hauled  down 
his  colors,  he  determined  that  at  sunrise  the 


208  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 


next  morning  tlie  Stars  and  Stripes  should 
again  float  at  his  peak  if  he  had  to  sacriflce 
half  his  crew  to  get  them  there.  His  next 
move  was  to  order  his  steward  to  dish  np 
supper,  and  when  it  was  ready  he  sent  word 
to  the  midshipman  to  come  down  and  have  a 
bite  ;  but,  although  the  brig  was  towing  at  the 
stern  of  the  Sumter^  and  there  was  not  the 
smallest  chance  for  her  to  escape,  the  ofiicer 
would  not  trust  himself  within  reach  of  the 
skipper  and  his  mates.  However,  he  was  not 
afraid  to  go  into  the  cabin  alone,  and  when  the 
steward  asked  hira,  in  Jack's  hearing,  to  come 
below  and  drink  a  cup)  of  coifee  and  eat  an 
orange,  he  accepted  the  invitation  ;  but  his 
actions  indicated  that  he  was  very  suspicious. 

'^Sit  down  here,  sir,"  said  the  steward, 
drawing  back  the  chair  he  had  placed  for 
him. 

''Well,  hardly,"  replied  the  officer,  glanc- 
ing at  the  door  behind  him,  which,  by  the 
way,  opened  into  the  captain's  state-room. 
"Move  that  chair  and  plate  to  the  other  side 
of  the  table." 

''Certainly,  sir,"   said  the  steward,  in  his 


THE    '' SUMTER"    LOSES   A   PRIZE.  209 

politest  tones ;  and  tlie  command  was 
promx3tly  obeyed. 

The  first  thing  tlie  midshipman  did  after  he 
had  taken  his  seat,  was  to  draw  his  revolver 
from  its  holster  and  show  it  to  the  steward  ; 
and  then  he  placed  it  on  the  chair  under  his 
left  leg. 

''  You  will  observe  that  I  don't  put  it  on  the 
table  and  give  you  a  chance  to  snatch  it  while 
lam  in  the  act  of  drinking  my  coffee,"  said 
he  blandly. 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  said  the  steward  again. 

"  You  Yankees  have  the  reputation  of  being 
pretty  sharp  x>eox)le,"  continued  the  ofiicer, 
'^and  I  believe  you  are  somewhat  famous 
for  the  tricks  you  play  upon  unsuspecting 
strangers ;  but  you  will  find  that  there  are 
smarter  men  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line 
than  there  are  north  of  it.  Now,  if  we  under- 
stand each  other,  trot  out  your  grub." 

The  steward  ran  up  the  ladder,  at  the  top  of 
which  he  found  the  second  mate,  standing 
back  out  of  the  light  so  that  the  midshipman 
could  not  see  him  if  he  chanced  to  look  toward 
the  deck. 

14 


210  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


u 


Did  you  notice  that  he  would  not  sit  where 
I  wanted  him  to?"  whispered  the  steward. 
"  The  old  man  is  in  his  state-room,  Avaiting  for 
a  chance  to  rush  out  and  grab  him,  but  I  am 
afraid  that  move  on  the  Confederate's  part 
will  knock  the  whole  thing  in  the  head." 

*'Not  by  a  long  shot,"  rei)lied  Jack. 
*'  We've  got  firearms  of  our  own  now,  and  if 
the  worst  is  forced  upon  us,  Ave' 11  engage  them 
in  a  regular  battle.  But  we  don't  want  to 
shoot  if  we  can  help  it,  for  that  might  bring 
the  Sumter  upon  us." 

The  steward  vanished  in  the  galley,  and 
Avhile  he  was  gone  Jack  thonght  serionslj^  of 
giving  him  the  revolver  he  had  taken  from  the 
captured  rebel,  and  telling  him  to  watch  his 
chance  to  put  it  to  the  head  of  the  midshijD- 
man  while  he  was  eating  his  supper,  and 
demand  his  surrender  on  pain  of  death.  That 
Avould  have  been  just  the  thing  to  do.  Jack 
thought,  if  he  were  only  sure  that  the  stew- 
ard's courage  would  not  fail  him  when  the 
critical  moment  came  ;  but  unfortunately  he 
was  not  quite  positive  on  that  point.  He  had 
never  had  an  opportunity  to  see    how    the 


THE    "  SUMTER "    LOSES   A   PRIZE.  211 

steward  would  act  in  an  emergency,  and  after 
a  little  rellection  lie  concluded  that  lie  had 
better  keep  the  weapon  in  his  own  possession. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  steward  came  out  of  the 
galley,  carrying  a  tray  upon  which  he  had 
placed  a  tempting  supper,  and  Jack  saw  him 
descend  into  the  cabin  and  put  it  on  the  table. 

"Here,  you  fellow,  that  won't  do,"  he  heard 
the  midshipman  exclaim.  "Don't  take  quite 
so  much  pains  to  get  behind  me,  if  you  iDlease. 
Stand  around  on  the  other  side  of  the  table,  so 
that  I  can  see  everything  you  do." 

"Certainly,  sir,"  answered  the  steward,  as 
he  hastened  to  take  the  position  pointed  out 
to  him. 

If  Jack  Gray  had  been  in  the  cabin  at  that 
moment  he  would  have  seen  that  he  did  a  wise 
thing  when  he  decided  to  hold  fast  to  his  re- 
volver instead  of  handing  it  over  to  the  steward 
and  depending  ujDon  him  to  capture  the  mid- 
shipman, for  Avhen  the  latter  emphasized  his 
commands  by  pulling  his  six-shooter  from 
under  his  leg  and  raising  and  lowering  the 
hammer  with  one  hand,  keeping  the  muzzle 
pointed   toward   the  steward's    head   all  the 


212  MAIICY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

while,  tlie  latter  grew  as  white  as  a  sheet  and 
trembled  in  every  limb.  After  he  thought  he 
had  inflicted  suflicient  torture  upon  the  timid 
fellow,  the  Confederate  put  up  his  weapon  and 
demanded : 

"  What  State  are  you  from  ? " 

''Massachusetts,  sir." 

"Are  all  Massachusetts  men  as  great  cow- 
ards as  you  are  ?" 

"Certainly,  sir,"  answered  the  steward,  who 
was  afraid  to  say  anything  else. 

"  Then  we're  going  to  have  a  w^alk-over,  sure 
enough,"  said  the  rebel.  "You  Yankees  are 
afraid  to  fight." 

"Certainly,  sir." 

Every  word  of  this  conversation  was  over- 
heard by  a  man  who,  but  for  a  most  unfortu- 
nate interruption,  would  have  forced  the  Con- 
federate officer  to  swallow  his  words  almost  as 
soon  as  they  had  left  his  lips.  It  was  the  skip- 
per. He  had  come  down  from  aloft  and  reached 
his  cabin  without  being  seen,  and  it  was  in 
obedience  to  his  instructions  that  the  prize- 
master  had  been  asked  below  to  get  some  sup- 
per.    His  X)lan  was  to  have  the  steward  seat  the 


THE    "SUMTKR"    loses   A   PRIZE.  213 

officer  with  his  back  to  a  certain  state-room,  so 
that  he  could  be  seized  from  behind  and  choked 
into  submission  before  he  knew  that  there  was 
a  third  i)arty  in  the  cabin  ;  but  that  could  not 
be  done  now.  The  rebel's  suspicions  led  him 
to  change  to  the  other  side  of  the  table,  and  he 
now  sat  facing  the  state-room  door,  on  whose 
farther  side  stood  the  merchant  captain  with 
rage  in  his  heart  and  a  cocked  revolver  in  his 
hand.  The  captain  knew  that  he  was  going  to 
put  himself  in  danger  when  he  attemj^ted  to 
make  a  prisoner  of  the  midshipman,  but  that 
did  not  deter  him.  When  he  heard  that  sweep- 
ing charge  of  cowardice  made  against  the  men 
of  his  native  State  he  could  stand  it  no  longer, 
but  jerked  open  the  door  and  sprang  into  the 
cabin. 

Now  came  that  unexpected  interruption  to 
the  skipper's  plan  of  which  Ave  have  spoken. 
The  steward  heard  the  door  of  the  state  room 
creak  softly  behind  him,  and,  knowing  what 
was  coming,  he  made  a  quick  jump  to  one  side 
to  get  out  of  the  skipper's  way  and  leave  him 
a  clear  field  for  his  operations  ;  but  he  was  so 
badly  frightened  that  he  hardly  knew  what  he 


214  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

was  about,  and  consequently  he  did  tlie  very 
tiling  he  tried  to  avoid.  He  sprang  directly 
in  front  of  his  commander,  and  the  two  came 
together  with  such  force  that  they  measured 
their  length  on  the  cabin  floor,  the  captain  and 
his  revolver  being  underneath.  For  one  single 
instant  the  prize-master  sat  as  motionless  in  his 
chair  as  if  he  had  been  turned  into  a  block  of 
wood;  but  it  was  for  one  instant  only.  He 
was  quick  to  comprehend  the  situation,  and 
equally  quick  to  act.  He  sprang  to  his  feet, 
and  before  either  of  the  prostrate  men  could 
make  a  move  he  ran  around  the  end  of  the 
table  and  covered  them  with  his  revolver. 

*'  If  you  stir  or  utter  a  word  I  will  shoot  you  as 
quickly  as  I  would  shoot  a  coui:)le  of  dogs  which 
disputed  my  right  to  use  the  highway,"  said 
he,  in  tones  that  could  not  have  been  steadier 
if  he  had  been  ordering  the  boatswain's  mate 
of  the  Sumter  to  pipe  sweepers.  "Captain, 
drop  that  revolver  on  the  floor  without  moving 
your  hand  a  hair's-breadth." 

"  Let  go  your  own  revolver,"  said  a  voice  in 
his  ear :  and  to  his  infinite  amazement  the 
Confederate  suddenly  found  himself  in  a  gras]) 


THE    "SUMTEK"    loses   A   PRIZE.  215 

SO  strong  that  it  not  only  rendered  him  incap- 
able of  action,  but  brought  him  to  his  knees 
in  a  second.  One  vise-like  hand  was  fastened 
upon  the  back  of  his  neck  and  the  other  upon 
his  wrist,  turning  the  muzzle  of  the  revolver 
upward,  so  that  it  pointed  toward  the  roof  of 
the  cabin. 

This  is  what  we  referred  to  when  we  stated 
that  if  it  had  not  been  for  Jack  Gray's  courage 
and  prompt  action,  it  is  probable  that  the  brig 
would  never  have  been  recaptured.  When  the 
midshipman  jumped  from  his  chair  and  ran 
around  the  table,  he  turned  his  back  toward 
the  companion-way  ;  and  the  moment  he  did 
so,  Jack  Gray,  who  saw  that  the  critical  time 
had  come  and  that  the  next  few  seconds  would 
decide  who  were  to  be  masters  of  the  brig, 
made  a  spring  for  the  ladder.  As  he  was  in 
his  stocking  feet  his  movements  were  noiseless, 
and  so  rapid,  too,  that  he  had  the  Confederate 
prize-master  in  his  grasp  before  the  latter  was 
fairly  done  speaking.  Then  he  was  joowerless, 
for  the  second  mate  had  a  grip  that  few  wdio 
knew  him  cared  to  contend  against. 

"Didn't   you  have  the  revolver  you  took 


216  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

from  tlie  captured  sailor  in  your  j)ocket  ?  "  in- 
quired Marcy,  when  Jack  readied  tins  jDoint  in 
his  story. 

"  I  did,  but  I  didn't  think  it  best  to  depend 
upon  it,  for  this  reason :  Although  the  mid- 
snipman  wasn'  t  much  to  look  at,  he  had  showed 
himself  to  be  possessed  of  any  amount  of  pluck, 
and  I  was  afraid  that  even  if  I  succeeded  in 
getting  the  drop  on  him  he  might  shoot  any 
w^ay,  for  the  double  purpose  of  disabling  me 
and  calling  his  men  to  his  assistance.  So  I 
made  all  haste  to  get  a  hold  on  him." 

''Now that  I  think  of  it,"  continued  Marcy, 
who  was  deeply  interested  in  the  narrative, 
"  w^hy  did  Captain  Semmes  keep  the  Herndon 
in  tow  when  he  cast  off  the  Sahlnef  Why 
didn't  he  let  both  vessels  go  ?  " 

''  I  have  never  been  able  to  account  for  that 
except  ui^on  the  supposition  that  he  had  more 
confidence  in  our  prize-master  than  he  had  in 
the  one  he  put  aboard  the  Herndon,'^''  replied 
sailor  Jack.  "The  Herndon  was  a  heavy  ves- 
sel, and  had  a  much  larger  crew  than  we  had  ; 
and  perhaps  that  had  something  to  do  with  it. 
I  think  we  taught  Semmes  a  lesson  he  will  re- 


THE    "  SUMTER        LOSES   A   PRIZE.  217 

member.  I  don't  believe  he  will  ever  again 
trust  a  Yankee  prize  and  a  Yankee  crew  out  of 
reach  of  his  big  guns." 

The  master  of  the  brig  and  his  frightened 
steward  got  upon  their  feet  as  soon  as  they 
could,  and  found  that  the  Confederate  officer 
had  been  secured  beyond  all  possibility  of  es- 
cape. The  second  mate  had  twisted  his  re- 
volver from  his  grasp ;  Smith,  the  man  to  whom 
Jack  had  given  the  captured  musket,  was  hold- 
ing a  bayonet  close  to  his  nose,  and  another 
sailor  Avas  threatening  him  with  a  handspike. 

"Did  you  really  think  that  nine  Yankee 
sailors  would  permit  five  traitors  to  work  their 
sweet  will  on  them  1 "  demanded  the  skipper, 
as  he  let  down  the  hammer  of  the  officer's  re- 
volver and  dropped  the  weapon  into  his  own 
pocket.  "  I  think  you  Avill  learn  to  your  cost 
that  you  have  been  very  much  mistaken  in 
the  opinions  you  have  formed  of  Northern 
people.  I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to  go  into  my 
state-room  and  remain  there,  leaving  the  door 
open.  Smith,  stay  here  and  watch  him,  while 
the  rest  of  us  go  on  deck,  and  attend  to  the 
other  four." 


218  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

*' There  are  but  three  left,  Captain,"  ob- 
served Jack.  "One  is  already  a  prisoner, 
and  Stebbins  is  keeping  guard  over  him." 

At  that  moment  a  body  of  men  marched  aft 
from  the  forecastle,  came  to  a  halt  at  the  toj) 
of  the  ladder,  and  a  hoarse  voice  hailed  the 
cabin.     It  was  the  voice  of  the  first  mate. 

"Tumble  up,  Cap'n,"  said  the  officer. 
"We've  got  the  rest  of  'em  hard  and  fast. 
Tumble  up  and  take  command  of  your  ship. 
She's  your'n  once  more." 

That  was  the  most  gratifying  piece  of  news 
Jack  Gray  had  ever  heard. 


CHAPTEH  X. 

A   COOL   PROPOSITION. 

ALTHOUGH  the  captain  and  Jack  had 
.  not  spoken  to  the  first  mate  since  the 
brig  was  captured,  except  it  was  in  the  pres- 
ence of  some  member  of  the  prize-crew,  they 
had  scowled  and  winked  at  him  as  often  as  the 
opportunity  was  x)resented,  and  the  mate  knew 
well  enough  what  they  meant  by  it  and  what 
they  intended  to  do.  He  determined  to  do  his 
part.  He  managed  to  exchange  a  few  words 
with  some  of  the  brig's  crew,  whom  he  in- 
structed to  stand  by  him  and  be  ready  to  lend 
a  hand  when  the  time  came.  He  saw  Jack 
make  the  first  capture,  wdth  Smith's  aid  and 
Stebbins's,  and  by  adroitly  engaging  the  other 
three  members  of  the  prize-crew  in  conversation, 
it  is  probable  that  he  kept  them  from  taking 
note  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  waist.  When 
he  saw  Jack  make  a  rush  for  the  companion- 

219 


220  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

ladder,  he  seized  the  nearest  Confederate, 
his  men  quickly  overpowered  the  other  two, 
and  then  he  inarched  aft  to  tell  his  captain  the 
good  news.  It  was  all  done  in  less  than  tw^o 
minutes,  and  Captain  Semmes  was  none  the 
wiser  for  it.  The  surprise  was  complete. 
There  was  not  a  shot  fired,  and  the  movements 
of  the  Yankee  sailors  were  so  rapid  that  resist- 
ance was  useless. 

"You've  got  the  brig  all  to  yourself  again, 
Cap'n,"  said  the  mate.  "What  shall  I  do 
with  these  varmints? " 

"Send  them  down  here,"  was  the  reply. 
"And  tell  Stebbins  to  send  his  man  down 
also." 

As  the  four  prisoners  filed  into  the  cabin, 
Jack  was  rather  surprised  to  see  that  they  did 
not  appear  to  be  at  all  cast  down  by  the  sudden 
and  unexpected  turn  affairs  had  taken.  In- 
deed, one  of  them,  who  spoke  with  a  rich  Irish 
brogue,  boldly  declared  : 

"  Sure  it's  not  mesilf  that  cares  at  all,  at  all. 
I've  had  enough  of  the  bloody  hooker." 

"Have  a  care,"  whispered  Jack,  nudging 
him  in  the  ribs  with  his  elbow.     "Your  com- 


A   COOL   PROPOSITION.  -  221 

manding  officer  is  in  that  state-room.     He  can 
hear  every  word  you  say." 

"Sorry  a  wan  of  me  cares  whether  he  can  or 
not,"  replied  the  sailor.  "We  were  promised 
big  wages  and  jDrize-money  by  tlie  bushel  if  we 
would  helx)  capture  the  Yankee  ships  on  the 
high  seas.  We'  ve  took  two  j)rizes  besides  this 
wan,  and  the  Herndon^  but  we  put  the  torch  to 
thim,  and  niver  a  cint  of  prize-money  is  there 
forninst  the  name  of  Paddy  Scanlan  on  the 
books." 

•  "Well,  Paddy,"  said  the  captain,  with  a 
laugh,  "you  may  abuse  the  rebels  all  you 
please,  and  no  one  aboard  my  vessel  will  say  a 
thing  to  you.  Now,  will  you  give  your  word  of 
honor  that  you  will  behave  yourselves  as  long 
as  you  stay  aboard  of  me  ?" 

"  Sure  I  will,"  replied  the  sailor  earnestly. 

"  I  mean  all  of  you  rebels,"  said  the  captain. 
"You  treated  us  very  civilly  while  we  Avere 
your  prisoners,  and  I  want  to  treat  you  in  the 
same  way  if  you  will  let  me.  Let's  have  your 
X)romise." 

It  was  given  without  a  moment's  hesitation, 
and  was  to  the  effect  that  as  long  as  they  re- 


222  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


> 


mained  on  tlie  Sabine  tliey  would  make  no  dis- 
turbance, but  would  in  all  respects  conduct 
themselves  with  as  much  jn'opriety  as  though 
they  had  been  regularly  shipped  as  members 
of  her  crew. 

*' As  long  as  you  stand  to  that  agreement  I 
will  allow  you  the  liberty  of  the  deck,  begin- 
ning to-morrow  morning,"  said  the  captain. 
"But  I  tell  you  plainly  that  if  you  go  back 
from  your  word,  I  will  have  you  in  irons  before 
you  know  what  is  the  matter  with  you.  Smith, 
stand  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  until  you  are 
relieved.     On  deck  the  rest  of  us  !  " 

Never  had  the  Sabine' s  crew  worked  harder 
than  they  did  on  this  particular  night  to  bring 
their  vessel  about  and  get  her  on  her  course 
again  ;  but  this  time  the  skipper  did  not  intend 
to  make  for  the  port  to  which  his  cargo  was 
consigned.  He  told  his  mates  that  as  soon  as 
the  brig  rounded  the  western  end  of  the  island 
of  Cuba,  he  would  fill  away  for  Key  West, 
which  was  the  nearest  Federal  naval  station. 

"I  won't  trust  myself  and  my  ship  in  these 
waters  an  hour  longer  than  I  am  obliged  to," 
he  declared.     "  How  do  I  know  but  that  there 


A   COOL   PROPOSITION.  223 

s 

may  be  a  dozen  or  more  vessels  like  the  Sumter 
cruising  about  here,  watching  their  chance  to 
make  bonfires  of  the  defenseless  merchant  ves- 
sels ?  Now  let  this  be  a  standing  order : 
While  we  are  under  way  we'll  not  speak  a 
single  ship,  no  matter  what  flag  she  floats.  If 
you  see  a  sail,  run  away  from  it." 

''And  strict  obedience  to  that  order  saved 
our  bacon,"  said  Jack,  in  conclusion.  "  We 
got  up  to  Key  West  without  any  mishap, 
turned  our  prisoners  over  to  the  commandant 
of  the  station,  and  then  filled  away  for  Boston, 
taking  with  us  a  cargo  that  ought  to  have  gone 
another  way.  We  were  warned  to  look  out  for 
little  privateers — sailing  vessels  with  one  or  two 
guns  aboard — and  the  navy  fellows  told  us 
that  the  coasts  of  North  and  South  Carolina 
were  particularly  dangerous  ;  but  our  brig  was 
a  grayhound,  the  captain  had  the  fullest  con- 
fidence in  her,  and  so  he  held  his  course.  But 
we  kept  a  bright  lookout  night  and  day, 
and  were  almost  worn  out  with  watching  by 
the  time  we  reached  our  home  port." 

"You  didn't  see  anything  of  those  i^riva- 
teers,  did  you?"  said  Mrs.  Gray. 


224  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

"Yes  ;  we  sighted  one  somewhere  in  the  lat- 
itude of  Sandy  Point,"  answered  Jack.  "  She 
fired  a  couple  of  shells  at  us,  and  tried  to  lay 
herself  across  our  course;  but  she  couldn't 
make  it.  We  ran  away  from  her  as  if  she  had 
been  anchored." 

''What  sort  of  a  looking  craft  was  she?" 
exclaimed  Marcy,  starting  up  in  his  chair. 

''Well,  she  was  a  fore-and-after  and  had  fig- 
ures painted  on  her  sails  to  make  us  believe 
that  she  was  a  pilot  boat,"  answered  Jack, 
somewhat  surprised  at  his  brother's  earnest- 
ness. "  But  she  was  about  four  times  too  big 
for  a  pilot  boat.  She  hoisted  Union  colors, 
and  when  she  found  that  she  could  not  decoy 
us  within  range  that  way,  she  ran  up  the  se- 
cession rag  and  cut  loose  with  her  bow-chaser  ; 
but  she  might  as  w^ell  have  saved  her  ammuni- 
tion, for  she  didn't  come  anywhere  near  us." 

"And  neither  did  the  rifle-shots  that  you 
fired  in  return  come  anywhere  near  us,"  added 
Marc3^ 

"xinywhere  near  you  1 "  exclaimed  Jack, 
starting  up  in  his  turn.  "What  do  you  mean  ? 
What  do  you  know  about  it  ?  " 


A   COOL   PROPOSITIOIS^.  225 

*'I  know  all  about  it,  for  I  was  there,"  re- 
plied Marcy.  "It  was  I  wlio  ran  up  those 
flags,  and  although  I  didn't  dream  that  you 
were  on  the  brig,  you  can't  imagine  how  de- 
lighted I  was  when  I  saw  that  she  was  bound 
to  give  us  the  slip.  That  privateer  was  Cap- 
tain Beardsley's  schooner,  and  I  was  aboard  of 
her  in  the  cax3acity  of  pilot." 

Sailor  Jack  settled  back  in  his  chair  as  if  to 
say  that  that  was  the  most  astounding  thing 
he  had  ever  heard  in  his  life. 

'^  Pilot  !^^  he  exclaimed,  at  length.  "  Lon 
Beardsley  doesn't  need  a  pilot  on  this  coast. 
He  has  smuggled  more  than  one  cargo  of 
cigars  through  these  inlets." 

"I  know  that.  But  you  are  aware  that 
Beardsley  has  been  our  enemy  for  years.  He 
couldn't  find  any  way  to  take  revenge  until 
this  war  broke  out,  and  then  he  began  troub- 
ling us.  He  knew,  and  he  knows  to-day,  that  I 
am  Union  all  over,  and  dow^n  on  secession  and 
all  who  favor  it,  and  when  he  offered  me  the 
l)ilot's  berth  and  promised  to  do  the  fair  thing 
by  me,  he  was  in  lio]3es  that  mother  would  re- 
fuse to  let  me  go;   then,   don't  you  see,   he 

15 


226  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

would  have  had  an  excuse  to  set  our  rebel 
neighbors  against  us  on  the  ground  that  we 
were  traitors  to  our  State." 

''I  always  knew  that  Lon  Beardsley  was  be- 
neath contemj^t,  but  this  rather  gets  ahead  of 
me,"  said  Jack  hotly. 

"But  it  so  happened  that  we  saw  through 
his  little  game.  Mother  never  said  a  word, 
and  I  shipped  as  pilot  aboard  the  privateer 
Osprey^^''  continued  Marcy.  ''And,  Jack  (here 
he  got  up,  moved  his  chair  close  to  the  sofa  on 
which  his  brother  was  sitting  and  lowered  his 
voice  to  a  whisper),  I  was  on  her  when  she 
made  her  first  and  only  caj^ture,  and  upstairs 
in  my  valise  I  have  seventeen  hundred  dollars 
in  gold,  my  share  of  the  money  the  Mary  Hol- 
lins  brought  when  she  was  condemned  and 
sold  in  the  port  of  Newbern." 

"  That  would  be  a  nice  little  sum  of  money 
if  it  had  been  earned  in  an  honorable  way," 
observed  Jack. 

"But  it  wasn't,"  said  Marcy,  "and  conse- 
quently I  don't  intend  to  keep  it.  I'm  going 
to  give  it  back  to  the  one  to  whom  it  belongs. 
Oh,  you  needn't  laugh.     I  mean  it!" 


A    COOL   PROPOSITION.  227 

''I  know  you  do,  and  I  hope  that  you  will 
some  day  find  the  man  ;  but  I  am  afraid  you 
won't.     Where  is  Beardsley  now  ?  " 

"I  left  him  at  Newbern.  The  presence  of 
the  cruisers  on  the  coast  frightened  him  so 
that  he  gave  up  privateering — he  didn't  want 
to  run  the  risk  of  being  cai)tured  with  guns 
aboard  of  him  for  fear  that  he  might  be  treated 
as  a  pirate — and  took  to  running  the  blockade. 
We  made  one  successful  trip,  taking  out  cot- 
ton and  bringing  back  an  assorted  cargo  worth 
somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  it  was  while  we  were  try- 
ing to  make  Crooked  Inlet  on  our  way  home 
that  Ave  came  the  nearest  to  being  captured. 
We  ran  foul  of  a  howitzer  launch,  which 
turned  loose  on  us  with  shrapnel  and  canister, 
and  gave  me  this  broken  arm  and  Beardsley  a 
black  and  blue  shoulder." 

"I  wish  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that 
she  had  given  him  a  broken  head,"  said  Jack. 
"  Were  you  much  hurt  ? " 

"I  don't  mind  it  in  the  least,"  answered 
Marcy.  "It  has  given  me  a  chance  to  visit 
with  mother  and  you.     But  I  don't  quite  un- 


228  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNEK. 

derstand  why  you  came  home  as  you  did. 
What  made  you  so  sly  about  it  ?  Go  more 
into  particulars,  but  don't  talk  too  loud." 

"  Is  it  a  fact  that  you  are  afraid  to  converse 
in  ordinary  tones  in  your  own  house?"  said 
Jack,  looking  inquiringly  at  his  mother. 

''Marcy  and  I  have  been  very  cautious,  for 
we  don't  know  whom  to  trust,"  answered  Mrs. 
Gray.  "One  of  our  principal  sources  of 
anxiety  is  the  money  we  have  hidden  in  the 
cellar  wall " 

"Thirty  thousand  dollars!"  whispered 
Marcy  in  his  brother's  ear.  "Mother  brought 
it  home  herself  and  spent  three  nights  in  fixing 
a  place  for  it." 

"  Holy  Moses  !  "  said  Jack  under  his  breath. 
"  Do  the  neighbors  know  it  ? " 

"They  suspect  it,  and  that  is  what  troubles 


us." 


a 


I  don't  wonder  at  it.  Why,  mother,  there 
are  plenty  of  white  trash  about  here  who  would 
rob  you  in  a  minute  if  they  thought  they  could 
do  it  without  bringing  harm  to  themselves.  I 
declare,  I  am  almost  afraid  to  leave  home 
again." 


A   COOL   PROPOSITION.  229 

^'  Oh,  Jack ! "  said  his  mother,  the  tears  start- 
ing to  her  eyes ;  ' '  you  surely  will  not  leave  me 
again." 

"  Not  if  you  bid  me  stay,  but  I  didn't  think 
you  would  do  it,  knowing,  as  I  did,  that  you 
are  strong  for  the  Union.  That  was  the  reason 
I  came  home  in  the  night  and  threw  stones  at 
Marcy's  window.  I  intended,  after  a  short 
visit,  to  show  my  love  for  the  old  flag  by  mak- 
ing my  way  out  to  the  blockading  fleet,  and 
shipping  with  the  first  commander  who  would 
take  me.  Consequently,  I  did  not  want  to  let 
any  of  the  neighbors  know  that  I  came  home  at 
all.  I  was  sure  that  there  must  be  some  Union 
people  here,  but  of  course  I  don' t  know  who 
they  are  any  more  than  I  know  who  the  rebels 
are  ;  so  I  thought  it  best  to  keep  my  movements 
a  secret.  However,  I  might  as  well  have  saved 
myself  the  trouble,"  added  Jack,  while  an  ex- 
pression of  anxiety  settled  upon  his  bronzed 
features  ;  ''of  course  I  can't  keep  out  of  sight 
of  the  servants,  and  if  there  are  any  treacher- 
ous ones  among  them,  as  you  seem  to  think, 
they  will  blab  on  me  to  the  first  rebel  they 
can  find." 


230  MARCy,  THE  BLOCKADE-PwUNNER. 

''They  will  tell  tlie  overseer  of  it,"  said 
Marcy.  "He's  a  sneak  and  a  spy  as  well  as 
a  rebel." 

''  Why  do  you  keep  him,  then  ?  "  demanded 
Jack.  "  Why  didn't  you  kick  him  off  the 
place  as  soon  as  you  found  out  that  he  could 
not  be  trusted  ?  " 

"I  hired  him  for  a  year,"  answered  Mrs. 
Gray.  "And  if  I  should  discharge  him  on 
account  of  his  political  opinions,  can  you  not 
see  that  I  would  give  the  rebels  in  the  settle- 
ment the  very  opportunity  that  I  believe  they 
are  waiting  for — the  oi)j)ortunity  to  persecute 
me?" 

"Perhaps  there  is  something  in  that,"  said 
Jack  thoughtfully.  "  I  must  say  that  this  is  a 
nice  way  to  live.  But  the  Confederates  can't 
say  a  word  against  you  now,  because  Marcy 
sails  under  their  flag." 

"  If  anybody  tells  you  that  story  don't  you 
believe  a  word  of  it,"  said  Marcy.  "They 
know  why  I  went  aboard  that  privateer  as  well 
as  if  I  had  told  them  all  about  it.  But,  Jack, 
what  did  you  mean  when  you  told  me  that  j^ou 
were  a  homeless,  friendless  smuggler  ?  " 


A   COOL   PROPOSITION.  231 

''  lam  not  exactly  liomeless  and  friendless," 
replied  the  sailor,  with  a  hearty  laugh,  "but  it 
is  a  fact  that  I  am  a  smuggler  in  a  small  way. 
When  I  found  myself  safe  in  Boston,  the  first 
thing  I  thought  of  w^as  getting  home.  I  first 
decided  I  would  go  to  Washington  and  try  to 
,get  a  pass  through  the  Union  lines  ;  but  I  soon 
found  that  that  wouldn't  do,  fori  saw^  by  the 
papers  that  the  Federals  were  straining  every 
nerve  to  close  the  Potomac  against  smugglers 
and  mail-carriers,  and  that  satisfied  me  that  no 
passes  were  granted.  My  only  hox)e  then  was 
to  get  here  by  water.  I  met  my  caj^tain  every 
day  or  two,  and  he  helped  me  out  by  securing 
me  a  berth  on  tlie  schooner,  West  Wind.  He 
never  said  a  word  to  me  about  the  character  of 
the  vessel,  although  he  must  have  know^n  all 
about  it  and  given  me  a  good  recommend  be- 
sides, for  the  day  after  I  went  aboard.  Captain 
Frazier  called  me  into  his  cabin,  and  took  me 
into  his  confidence. 

"  I  thought  the  master  of  the  Sabine  wsls  a 
strong  Union  man,"  said  Marcy.  "But  this 
looks  as  though  he  w^as  giving  aid  and  comfort 
to  the  rebels." 


232  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

''Well,  no;  he  didn't  mean  it  that  Avay. 
He  was  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  me^  don't 
yon  see  %  He  wanted  to  help  me  get  home,  and 
I  assure  you  I  was  glad  of  the  chance  he  gave 
me.  Captain  Frazier  was  an  old  friend  of  his. 
He  happened  to  find  out  that  Frazier  was 
about  to  turn  an  honest  penny  by  selling  the 
Confederates  medicine  and  other  little  things 
of  which  they  stood  in  need,  and  instead  of 
betraying  him,  he  recommended  me  as  a  suit- 
able man  for  second  mate,  for  I  was  a  tolerable 
sailor,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  coasts  of 
the  Carolinas.  I  accepted  the  position  when 
it  was  offered  me,  and  brought  the  WestWind 
through  Oregon  Inlet  as  slick  as  you  please, 
although  the  channel  doesn't  run  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  where  it  did  the  last  time  I 
went  through  there." 

"Did  you  take  out  a  venture  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  I  risked  about  two-thirds  of 
my  hard-earned  wages." 

"  What  did  you  buy  ?  " 

"Quinine,  calomel,  and  about  half  a  dozen 
different  kinds  of  quack  medicines  in  the 
shape  of    pills    and    tonics.     But    there  was 


A   COOL   PR01*0SITI0X.  233 

where  I  made  a  mistake.  I  ought  to  have  put 
all  the  money  in  quinine.  If  I  had,  I  would 
have  made  two  or  three  hundred  dollars  more 
than  I  did.  As  it  was  I  cleared  about  twelve 
hundred.  And  that  reminds  me  that  I  left  my 
grip-sack  on  the  gallery." 

He  and  Marcy  went  out  to  bring  it  in,  and 
when  they  returned,  Jack  was  slapping  the 
side  of  the  valise  to  make  the  gold  pieces 
jingle. 

"My  son,  I  am  very  sorry  you  did  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Gray  reproachfully.  "Very  sorry  in- 
deed." 

"  Why,  mother,  just  listen  to  this,"  replied 
Jack,  hitting  the  valise  another  sounding 
whack. 

"  I  hear  it,"  said  his  mother.  "But  when 
you  brought  those  things  down  here  and 
piloted  that  vessel  through  the  blockade, 
didn't  you  violate  the  laws  of  your  country  ? 
Did  you  not  render  yourself  liable  to  arrest 
and  imprisonment  ? '' 

"Well,  to  be  honest,  I  did  ;  but  you  see  I 
was  looking  into  the  future.  When  I  reached 
Newbern   I    wasn't    home    by    a    long    shot. 


234  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

There's  a  riglit  smart  stretcli  of  country 
between  that  place  and  this.  I  walked  nearly 
every  step  of  the  way  from  Boydtown,  and 
every  man  I  met  was  the  hottest  kind  of  a 
rebel,  or  professed  to  be.  When  questioned, 
as  I  often  was,  I  could  tell  a  truthful  story 
about  being  second  mate  of  a  schooner  that 
had  slipped  into  Newbern  with  a  lot  of  goods 
for  the  Confederacy,  and  furthermore,  I  had 
the  documents  to  prove  it,"  said  Jack,  drawing 
an  official  envelope  from  an  inside  pocket. 
''  This  is  a  strong  letter  from  the  captain  of  the 
West  Wind,  recommending  me  to  any  block- 
ade-running shipmaster  who  may  be  in  need 
of  a  coast  j)ilot  and  second  mate  ;  but  I  never 
expect  to  use  it.  Here  are  some  documents  of 
an  entirely  different  character,"  and  as  he 
said  this,  the  sailor  thrust  his  hand  into  the 
leg  of  his  boot  and  pulled  forth  another  large 
envelope.  "This  contains  two  letters,  one 
from  the  master  of  the  Sabine,  and  the  other 
from  her  owners  ;  and  they  give  a  flattering  his- 
tory of  the  part  I  took  in  recapturing  the  brig. 
These  letters  may  be  of  use  to  me  when  the 
time  comes  for  me  to  shij)  on  a  blockader." 


A   COOL   PROPOSITION.  235 

''  I  don't  see  how  you  got  out  of  Boston  with 
your  contraband  cargo,"  said  Marcy.  "How 
did  you  clear  at  the  custom  house  ?  " 

"Why,  bless  you,  our  cargo  was  all  right," 
replied  Jack,  "and  so  were  our  papers.  The 
cargo  was  brought  aboard  in  broad  daylight, 
and  consigned  to  a  well-known  American  firm 
in  Havana  ;  but  the  little  articles  that  were 
brought  aboard  after  dark  and  scattered 
around  among  the  barrels  and  boxes  in  the 
hold,  would  have  sent  the  last  one  of  us  to 
jail  if  they  had  been  discovered." 

"Oh,  Jack!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Gray,  "how 
could  you  do  it?  I  can't  see  how  you  could 
bring  yourself  to  take  so  much  risk." 

"I  did  it  to  keep  up  appearances  ;  and  hasn't 
Marcy  done  the  same  thing  and  with  your  con- 
sent 1  Didn'  t  he  join  that  privateer  and  run  the 
risk  of  being  captured  or  killed  by  the  Yankees 
because  you  and  he  thought  it  jDolicy  for  him 
to  do  so  ?  I  am  not  a  policy  man,  but  in  times 
like  these  one  can't  always  do  as  he  wants  to." 

There  were  so  many  things  to  talk  about,  and 
such  a  multitude  of  questions  to  be  asked  and 
answered  on  both  sides,  that  the  little  clock  on 


236  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNEE. 

the  mantel  struck  four  different  hours  before 
any  one  thought  of  going  to  bed ;  and  then 
Jack  did  not  go  to  his  own  room,  but  passed 
the  rest  of  the  night  with  Marcy,  for  the  latter 
hinted  very  strongly  that  he  had  some  things 
to  say  to  him  that  he  did  not  care  to  mention 
in  his  mother's  presence. 

"  She  has  enough  to  bother  her  already," 
said  he,  as  he  closed  and  locked  the  door  of  his 
room  ;  "and  although  I  have  no  secrets  from 
her,  I  don't  like  to  speak  to  her  on  disagree- 
able subjects.  I  wish  she  could  forget  that 
money  in  the  cellar  wall  and  the  hints  Wat 
Gifford  gave  her  about  'longshoremen  coming 
up  here  from  Plymouth  some  dark  night  to 
steal  it." 

Sailor  Jack,  who  was  standing  in  front  of  the 
bureau  putting  aAvay  his  letters  of  recommend- 
ation and  the  canvas  bag  that  contained  his 
money,  turned  quickly  about  and  looked  at  his 
brother  without  speaking. 

"Of  course  I  don't  know  that  such  a  thing 
will  ever  happen,"  continued  Marcy,  "but  I 
do  know  for  a  fact  that  Beardsley  and  a  few 
others  are  very  anxious  to  find  out  whether  or 


A   COOL   PROPOSITION-.  237 

not  there  are  any  funds  in  the  house.  Beards- 
ley  tried  his  level  best  to  pump  me,  and  Colonel 
Shelby  sent  that  trifling  Kelsey  uj)  here  for  the 
same  purpose.  ISTow  what  difference  does  it 
make  to  them  whether  mother  has  money  or  not, 
unless  they  mean  to  try  to  take  it  from  her  ? " 

*'Marcy,"  said  Jack,  Avho  had  backed  into 
the  nearest  chair,  ' '  I  wish  that  money  was  a 
thousand  miles  from  here.  You  haven't  any- 
thing to  fear  from  those  wharf -rats  at  Ply- 
mouth ;  but  if  the  Confederate  authorities  find 
out  about  it,  and  can  scrape  together  evidence 
enough  to  satisfy  them  that  mother  is  Union, 
they'll  come  down  on  this  house  like  a  night- 
hawk  on  a  June  bug.  And,  worse  than  that, 
Beardsley  may  contrive  to  have  mother  put 
under  arrest." 

"  No  !  "  gasped  Marcy.     ''  What  for  ? " 

"Don't  you  know  that  the  Richmond  Gov- 
ernment  has  instructed  its  loyal  subjects  to 
repudiate  the  debts  they  owe  to  Northern  men 
and  to  turn  the  amount  of  those  debts  into  the 
Confederate  treasury? " 

"Well,  what  of  it  ?  We  don't  owe  anybody 
a  red  cent." 


338  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


*'  No  odds.  If  Beardsley  wants  evidence  to 
prove  that  we  do  owe  some  Northern  house  for 
the  supplies  we  have  been  receiving,  and  that 
we  are  holding  back  the  money  instead  of  giv- 
ing it  to  the  Confederacy — if  Beardsley  needs 
evidence  to  prove  all  that  he  can  easily  find  it." 

"  Why,  the — the  villain  ! "  exclaimed  Marcy, 
who  had  never  been  more  astounded. 

^' He's  worse  than  that,  and  he'll  do  worse 
than  that  if  he  sees  half  a  chance,"  said  Jack, 
with  a  sigh.  "I  wish  the  Yankees  might  get 
hold  of  him,  and  that  some  one  would  tell  them 
who  and  what  he  is,  for  I  judge  from  what  you 
have  told  me  that  he  is  at  the  bottom  of  all 
mother's  troubles.  Now,  let  me  tell  you  :  you 
must  stay  at  home  and  take  care  of  mother, 
and  I  will  shij)  on  a  war  vessel  and  do  my  share 
toward  putting  down  this  rebellion." 

"  But  how  can  I  stay  at  home  ? "  interrupted 
Marcy.  "  My  leave  is  for  only  ninety  days, 
and  Beardsley  looks  for  me  to  join  the  schooner 
as  soon  as  my  arm  gets  well." 

' '  All  right.  No  doubt  you  will  have  to  do  it ; 
but  you'll  not  make  many  more  trips  on  that 
blockade-runner.     It'll  not  be  long  before  all 


A   COOL   PROPOSITION".  239 

our  ports  will  be  sealed  up  tight  as  a  brick  by 
swift  steamers,  and  sailing  vessels  will  stand  no 
show  of  getting  out  or  in.  I  know  Lon  Beards- 
ley,  and  he  will  quit  blockade  running  when  he 
thinks  it's  time,  the  same  as  he  quit  privateer- 
ing. Why,  Marcy,  you  can't  imagine  what  an 
uproar  there  is  all  over  the  North.  They're 
getting  ready  to  give  the  South  particular 
fits." 

"Then  the  result  of  the  fight  at  Bull  Run 
didn't  frighten  or  discourage  them  ?  " 

''Man  alive,  if  you  had  had  as  much  to  do 
with  Northern  people  as  I  have,  you  would 
know  that  they  don't  understand  the  words. 
They've  got  their  blood  up  at  last,  and  now 
they  mean  business.  Recruits  are  coming  in 
faster  than  they  can  equip  and  send  them  off. 
And  I  can't  stay  behind.     Mother  must  let  me 


go." 


a 


Do  you  think  of  enlisting  on  one  of  the 


blockading  fleet  ? " 
"I  do." 


But  how  are  you  going  to  get  to  it  ?    It's 
off  Hatteras." 

"  So  I  supposed.  Where's  the  Fairy  Belle  .^  " 


240  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

^' Great  Scott!"  ejaculated  Marcj^  "Do 
you  expect  me  to  take  you  out  on  her?" 
"  Well,  yes  ;  I  had  rather  calculated  on  it." 
Marcy  was  profoundly  astonished.  He 
threw  himself  upon  the  bed,  propped  his  head 
up  with  his  uninjured  hand,  and  looked  at  his 
brother  without  saying  a  word. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  BANNER   ON  THE  WALL. 

*'  'TT'OU  seem  to  be  very  mucli  surprised  at  a 
JL  very  simple  proposition,"  said  Jack,  at 
length. 

''And  you  seem  to  have  a  deal  more  cheek 
than  you  did  the  first  time  I  made  your  ac- 
quaintance," replied  Marcy. 

Jack  laughed  heartily. 

''Why,  what  is  there  to  hinder  you  from 
taking  me  down  to  the  fleet? "  he  demanded. 
"  Haven't  I  often  heard  you  boast  of  the  Fah^y 
Belle's  sea -going  qualities?  If  she  can  cross 
the  Atlantic,  as  you  have  more  than  once  de- 
clared, she  can  surely  ride  out  any  blow  we  are 
likely  to  meet  off  the  Cai3e." 

"Oh,  she  can  get  there  easy  enough,"  an- 
swered Marcy.  "I  was  not  thinking  about 
that.  But  suppose  I  take  you  down  to  the 
fleet  and  the  Yankees  won't  let  me  come 
back?    Then  what?" 

16  241 


242  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

"  ]N"onsense  !  "  exclaimed  Jack.  "They'll  let 
you  come  back.  They  are  not  obliged  to  force 
men  into  the  service  against  their  will.  They'  ve 
got  more  than  they  want." 

"But  there's  another  thing,"  continued 
Marcy.  * '  There  are  two  forts  at  the  Inlet ;  and 
suppose  some  of  the  rebels  in  those  forts  should 
see  a  little  schooner  communicating  with  one 
of  the  blockading  fleet.  Wouldn't  they  take 
pains  to  find  out  where  the  schooner  belonged, 
and  who  her  owner  was  ?  And  then  what 
would  they  do  to  me?" 

"They  would  put  yon  in  jail,  of  course," 
replied  Jack,  with  refreshing  candor.  "But  I 
take  it  for  granted  that  you  are  sharp  enough 
to  go  and  come  without  being  seen  by  anybody. 
If  you  magnify  the  dangers  of  the  undertaking 
by  holding  back  or  raising  objections  to  the 
programme  I  have  laid  out,  I  am  afraid  you 
will  frighten  mother  into  saying  that  I  can't 

go." 

"I'll  neither  hold  back  nor  object,"  said 
Marcy  resolutely.  "  When  you  are  ready  to 
go  say  the  word,  and  I  will  do  the  best  I  can 
for  you." 


THE   BANNER   ON   THE    WALL.  243 


u 


I  knew  you  would.  Now  let's  lie  down  for 
a  while.  I  have  tramped  it  all  the  way  from 
Boydtown  since  daylight,  and  am  pretty  well 
tuckered  out." 

"If  you  had  telegraphed  to  Nashville,  I 
would  have  met  you  with  a  carriage,"  said 
Marcy. 

"Of  course.  But  I  thoaght  I  would  rather 
have  a  talk  with  you  and  mother  before  I  let 
any  one  know  I  was  in  the  country.  And 
now  that  I  have  got  here  and  had  the  talk — 
w^hat  would  you  do  if  you  were  in  my  place  ? 
Keep  out  of  sight  1 " 

"No,  I  wouldn't.  What  good  would  it  do 
as  long  as  the  servants  know  you  are  here  ? 
Make  it  a  point  to  say  *  hallo  '  to  all  the  neigh- 
bors, talk  politics  wdth  them,  and  tell  them  how 
you  ran  that  schooner  into  Newbern  through 
Oregon  Inlet.  By  the  way,  what  was  done 
with  the  cargo  that  was  intended  for  that  house 
in  Havana  1 ' ' 

' '  It  wasn'  t  intended  for  Havana.  It  was  sold 
in  Newbern,  as  the  owners  meant  it  should  be, 
and  when  I  left,  the  West  Wind  ^vas  loading 
up  with  cotton  for  Nassau.     Well,  suppose  I 


244  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

j)lay  that  I  am  as  good  a  Confederate  as  any  of 
the  iDeople  hereabouts  ;  what  then  ?  When 
I  leave  for  the  blockading  fleet  they  will  want 
to  know  w^iere  I  have  gone,  won' t  they  ?  And 
what  will  you  say  to  them  ?  We  must  think 
about  that  and  cook  uj)  some  sort  of  a  story  on 
purj)ose  for  them." 

The  boys  tumbled  into  bed  while  they  were 
talking,  but  it  was  a  long  time  before  Marcy 
could  go  to  sleej).  He  shuddered  every  time  he 
thought  of  what  the  consequences  would  be  if 
by  any  misfortune  it  became  known  in  the  set- 
tlement, that  Jack  Gray,  whom  everybody  took 
to  be  a  good  Confederate,  and  who  had  been 
permitted,  while  at  home,  to  go  and  come  as  he 
pleased,  had  seized  the- first  opportunity  to  go 
down  to  Hatteras  and  ship  on  board  a  Union 
gunboat. 

^'Tliis  house  w^ould  be  in  ashes  in  less  than 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  new^s  got  noised 
about  in  the  neighborhood,"  said  Marcy,  to 
himself,  wishing  that  the  sound  sleep  that  so 
I)romptly  came  to  his  weary  brother  might 
come  to  him,  also!  ^'Then  I  should  learn  by 
experience  how  it  seems  to  live  in  a  negro 


THE   BANNER   ON   THE   WALL.  245 

cabin.  But  there's  one  consolation.  They 
couldn't  burn  the  cellar  walls,  so  mothers 
money  would  be  safe." 

ft/ 

The  clock  struck  nine  before  the  boys  got  up 
that  morning,  but  there  was  a  hot  breakfast 
waiting  for  them.     A  family  council  was  held 
while  they  were  seated  at  the  table,   during 
which  it  was  decided  that  the  only  course  for 
Jack  to  pursue  while  at  home  was  to  do  as  he 
always  had  done — go  about  the  settlement  as 
though  he  had  a  perfect  right  to  be  there  (as 
indeed  he  had),  and  act  and  talk  as  though 
such  a  thing  as  war  had  never  been  heard  of. 
If  political  questions  were  forced  upon  him,  he 
could  tell  of  his  voyage  on  the  West  Wind, 
and  show  Captain  Frazier's  letter  ;  but  he  must 
be  careful  not  to  say  anything  about  his  short 
captivity  in  the  hands  of  the  Sumtef  s  men. 
Accordingly,  when  Marcy's  filly  was  brought 
to  the  door  after  breakfast,  there  was  another 
horse  brought  with  her  for  Jack's  use.     The 
coachman,  who  had  been  so  soundly  rated  the 
day  before,  came  also,  for  the  two -fold  purpose 
of  making  his  peace  with  Marcy  and  welcoming 
the  returned  sailor. 


246  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

"  Sarvent,  Marse  Marcy.  Sarvent,  Marse 
Jack,"  said  he,  dropj)ing  his  hat  upon  the 
ground  and  extending  a  hand  to  each  of  the 
boys.  "So  glad  to  have  you  back,  Marse 
Jack,  and  so  proud  to  know  that  you  wasn't 
took  prisoner  by  that  pirate  Semmes.  We  saw 
by  the  papers  that  he  run  out  on  the  high  seas 
las'  month,  and  I  was  mighty  jubus  that  you 
might  run  onto  him.  Glad  to  see  you  among 
us  again,  safe  and  sound,  sar." 

"  And  Morris,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  myself 
here,"  replied  Jack,  giving  the  black  man's 
hand  a  hearty  shake.  "So  you  take  the 
papers,   do  you?" 

"Well,  no  sar;  I  don't  take  'em,  but  the 
Missus  does,  and  she  tells  me  what's  into  'em. 


sar." 


"I  don't  know  that  it  makes  any  difference 
how  you  get  the  news  so  long  as  you  get  it. 
But  I  am  rather  surprised  to  see  you  on  the 
plantation.  I  thought  that  of  course  you  had 
run  away  and  joined  the  Yankees  before  this 
time.  You  had  better  dig  out,  for  you  are  an 
Abolitionist,  and  they  hang  Abolitionists  in 
this  country." 


THE   BANNER   ON   THE   WALL.  247 

"  Now,  Marse  Jack,  I  don't  like  for  to  have 
you  talk  to  me  that  a  wa}^"  said  the  coachman 
in  a  tone  of  reproach.  "  All  the  other  niggers 
may  go  if  they  want  to,  but  Morris  stays  right 
here  on  the  place.  He  does  for  afac'.  Who 
going  to  drive  the  carriage  if  Morris  runs 
away." 

"  Well,  that's  so,"  replied  Jack,  gathering 
up  the  reins  and  placing  his  foot  in  the  stirrup. 
''I  didn't  think  of  that.  Help  Marcy  into  his 
saddle  and  then  tell  me  what  I  shall  bring  you 
when  I  come  from  town — a  plug  of  store  to- 
bacco for  yourself,  and  a  big  red  handkerchief 
for  Aunt  Mandy  ? ' ' 

"Thank  you  kindly,  Marse  Jack,''  said  the 
coachman,  with  a  pleased  laugh.  '*  You  always 
thinking  of  we  black  ones." 

''  Yes  ;  I  have  thought  of  them  a  good  many 
times  during  the  two  years  and  better  that  I 
have  been  knocking  around  the  world,"  said 
Jack,  as  he  and  his  brother  rode  out  of  the 
yard.  "Especially  did  I  think  of  home  when 
the  brig  was  dismasted  by  a  tornado  in  the 
South  Atlantic.  We  came  as  near  going  to  the 
bottom  that  time  as  we  could  without  going, 


248  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

and  I  promised  myself  that  if  I  ever  again  got 
a  foothold  on  solid  ground,  I  would  keep  it ; 
but  here  I  am  thinking  of  going  to  sea  once 
more,  as  soon  as  I  have  had  a  visit  with  you 
and  mother." 

''  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it,"  said  Marcy. 

"I'd  like  to  stay  at  home,  but  these  fanatics 
who  are  trying  to  break  up  the  government 
w^on't  let  me,"  answered  the  sailor.  "Now 
that  you  have  had  a  chance  to  sleep  on  it, 
what  do  you  think  of  the  proposition  I  made 
you  last  night?" 

"About  taking  you  down  to  the  blockading 
fleet  at  the  Cape  ?  "  inquired  Marcy.  "Well, 
if  you  are  bound  to  go,  I  don't  see  that  there 
is  anything  else  you  can  do.  Of  course  I  shall 
do  all  I  can  to  help  you,  and  if  there  was  some 
trustworthy  person  to  look  out  for  mother,  I 
would  go  too  ;  but  I  should  go  into  the  army." 

"Of  course.  Your  training  at  Barrington 
has  fitted  you  for  that,  and  you  would  be  out 
of  place  on  board  ship.  What  color  is  the 
hull  of  the  Fairy  Belle  f  " 

"It's  black,"  replied  Marcy,  catching  at  the 
idea.     "  But  it  wouldn't  take  you  and  me  long 


TITE  BANNER   ON   THE   WALL.  249 

to  make  it  some  other  color.  That  is  Avhat 
Beardsley  did  when  he  turned  his  privateer 
into  a  blockade-runner/' 

"And  that  is  what  we  will  do  with  your  lit- 
tle schooner — we  wall  disguise  her,"  said  Jack, 
''and  by  the  time  w^e  get  through  with  her, 
her  best  friends  won't  recognize  her.  More 
than  that,  if  we  have  to  run  within  spyglass 
reach  of  the  forts  at  the  Inlet,  we'll  hoist  the 
rebel  flag  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  above  it, 
to  make  the  Confederates  think  that  she  has 
been  captured  by  the  Yankees." 

"But  we  haven't  any  rebel  flag,"  said 
Marcy. 

' '  What's  the  reason  we  haven' t  ?  When  the 
Sumtefs  boarding  officer  told  our  captain  that 
we  were  a  prize  to  the  Confederate  steamer,  he 
hauled  our  colors  down,  and  ran  his  own  up  in 
their  place  ;  and  they  were  there  when  we  took 
the  vessel  out  of  the  hands  of  the  prize-crew. 
I  jerked  it  down  myself,  said  nothing  to  no- 
body, and  brought  it  home  as  a  trophy.  It's  in 
my  valise  now.  When  we  return  from  town  I 
intend  to  stick  it  up  in  the  sitting-room  where 
every  one  can  see  it." 


250  MAKCy,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

''You  do?"  exclaimed  Marcy.  "Mother 
won't  let  you." 

"Oh,  I  think  she  will,"  said  Jack,  with  a 
laugh.  "  She  will  know  why  it  is  put  on  the 
wall,  and  so  will  you.  Every  time  you  two 
look  at  it,  you  will  think  of  the  part  I  played 
in  turning  the  tables  on  Semmes  and  his  prize- 
crew  ;  but  the  visitors  who  come  to  the  house 
on  purpose  to  wheedle  mother  into  saying 
something  for  the  Union  and  against  the  Con- 
federacy, will  think  they  are  barking  up  the 
wrong  tree,  and  that  the  Gray  family  are  secesh 
sure  enough." 

"  I  hope  they  will,  but  I  don't  believe  it," 
answered  Marcy.  "  When  you  join  the  block- 
ading fleet  and  the  neighbors  ask  me  where 
you  are,  what  shall  I  tell  them  ?  " 

"That's  a  question  I  will  answer  after  I 
have  been  here  long  enough  to  get  my  bear- 
ings," said  Jack.  "  Did  you  remark  that  you 
would  have  to  stop  at  Beardsley's?  Well, 
here  we  are." 

The  rapidity  with  which  news  of  all  sorts 
traveled  from  one  jilantation  to  another,  before 
and  during  the  war,  was  surj)rising.     Among 


THE   BANNER   ON   THE   WALL.  251 

the  letters  that  Marcy  Gray  had  been  commis- 
sioned to  deliver  was  one  addressed  to  Captain 
Beardsley's  grown-np  daughter,  and  the  girl 
was  waiting  for  them  when  they  rode  into  the 
yard  and  drew  rein  at  the  foot  of  the  stej^s. 

"Morning,  gentleme/i,"  was  the  way  in 
which  she  greeted  the  two  boys.  "I  was 
dreadful  frightened  when  I  heard  that  the 
Yankees  had  run  onto  you,  and  that  you  had 
got  your  arm  broke,  Mister  Marcy.  But  it 
seems  i3aw  was  into  the  same  boat.  AVas  he 
much  hurted  ?  Hox3e  your  venture  in  quinine 
paid  you  well,  Mister  Jack.  You  done  yourself 
proud  by  running  that  schooner  into  Newbern 
with  all  them  supplies  aboard,  but  you  oughter 
stayed  with  her  and  helped  her  through  the 
blockade." 

"Oh,  the  ski px-)er  will  find  plenty  of  pilots 
in  Newbern,"  replied  Jack,  who  was  not  a  lit- 
tle astonished  to  learn  that  the  news  of  his  re- 
turn had  already  got  abroad  in  the  settlement. 
"If  I  can't  ship  on  something  better  than  a 
blockade-runner,  I  will  stay  ashore." 

"But  they  do  say  there's  a  power  of  money 
in  it,"  said  the  girl.     "Is  that  a  fact,  Marcy? 


252  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

Paw  must  have  got  safe  out  and  back  from 
Nassau,  or  else  you  wouldn't  be  here  now. 
Did  he  make  much,  do  you  reckon?  " 

"I  believe  he  calculated  on  clearing  about 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars,"  answered  Mar- 
cy,  who  was  looking  over  the  package  of  let- 
ters he  had  taken  from  his  pocket. 

'^  I  say  !  "  exclaimed  the  girl,  fairly  dancing 
with  delight.  "If  paw  made  that  much  he 
must  get  me  the  new  dress  I  want,  and  that's  a 
word  with  a  bark  onto  it.  That  letter  for  me  ? 
Sarvent,  sar.    Good-bye." 

"I  don't  see  why  Beardsley  went  to  the 
trouble  of  writing  to  her,"  said  Jack,  as  the 
two  turned  about  and  rode  away.  "  She  can't 
read  a  word  of  it." 

''And  I  am  very  glad  she  can't,"  answered 
Marcy.  "  She  will  take  it  to  old  Mrs.  Brown, 
most  likely,  and  if  she  does,  she  might  as  well 
stick  it  up  in  the  j^ost-office.  Mrs.  Brown  is  a 
regular  built  gossip,  and  if  there  is  anything 
in  the  letter  about  me,  as  1  think  there  is,  I 
shall  be  sure  to  hear  of  it.  But  don't  it  beat 
you  how  things  get  around  ?  Just  see  how 
much  that  girl  knows  ;  and  I  haven't  been  out 


THE  BANNER  ON   THE   WALL.  253 

of  the  house  since  I  came  home  yesterday 
afternoon.  I  tell  you  there  are  spies  all  about 
us.  Don't  trust  any  one  you  may  meet  in 
town.  Tell  just  the  story  you  want  pub- 
lished, and  nothing  else.  And  don't  forget 
that  before  you  sleep  to-night  I  want  you 
to  bury  seventeen  hundred  dollars  for  me. 
You've  got  two  good  hands." 

"  Marcy,  I  am  almost  afraid  to  do  it,"  re- 
plied Jack.  "  SupiDose  some  one  should 
watch  us  and  dig  it  up  as  soon  as  we  Avent 
aw^av  ? ' ' 

*'  We'll  take  Bose  with  us  for  a  sentry,  and 
slip  out  of  the  house  after  everybody  else  has 
gone  to  bed.  We'll  take  all  the  precautions 
we  can  think  of  and  trust  to  luck.  There's 
!N'ashville ;  now  be  as  big  a  rebel  as  you 
please.  I  know  they'll  not  believe  a  word  of 
it,  but  that  won't  be  your  fault." 

As  Marcy  expected,  the  first  one  to  rush  out 
of  the  post-office  and  greet  them,  as  they  were 
hitching  their  horses,  was  young  Allison.  He 
gave  the  sailor's  hand  a  hearty  shake,  and 
then  he  turned  to  Marcy. 

"Really,  I  am  surprised  to  see  you  here, 


5 


254  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

and  in  citizen's  clothes,  too,"  said  tlie  latter. 
"  I  should  have  thought  that  your  zeal  for  the 
Confederacy  would  have  taken  you  into  the 
army  long  ago.  Man  alive,  you're  missing 
heaps  of  fun.  Lookatmyarm.  I've  suffered 
for  the  cause  and  you  haven't."  ["And 
what's  more  to  the  point,  you  don't  mean  to, 
added  Marcy  to  himself.] 

"It's  fun  to  have  a  broken  arm,  is  it  ?  "  ex- 
claimed Allison.  "  I  can't  see  it  in  that  light. 
The  reason  I  haven't  enlisted  is  because  I 
thought  that  perhaps  you  would  bring  me  a 
favorable  w^ord  from  Captain  Beardsley.  Did 
you  speak  to  him  about  taking  me  as  one  of 
his  crew  ?" 

"I  did,  before  I  had  been  aboard  the 
schooner  half  an  hour." 

"  And  wiiat  did  he  say  ? " 

"  His  reply  w^as  that  he  couldn't  accept  you. 
The  crew  is  full ;  you  know  nothing  about 
a  vessel  ;•  he  wants  nothing  but  sailor-men 
aboard  of  him,  and  if  you  want  to  do  some- 
thing for  the  South,  the  best  thing  you  can  do 
is  to  go  into  the  army." 

"Well,  I'd  thank  him  to  hold  fast  to  his 


THE  BANNER   ON  THE   WALL.  255 

advice  until  lie  is  asked  to  give  it,"  said  Alli- 
son spitefully.  "I'll  not  carry  a  musket;  I 
can  tell  him  that  much.  I  have  seen  some 
fellows  who  were  in  the  fight  at  Bull  Run,  and 
they  say  that  the  i)i'ivates  in  our  army  are 
treated  worse  than  dogs.  If  I  could  get  a 
commission  the  case  would  be  different." 

' '  Thaf  s  the  idea, ' '  said  Jack.  ' '  Why  don' t 
you  pitch  in  and  get  one  ?  Begin  at  the  top 
of  the  ladder  and  not  at  the  foot.  Crawl  in  at 
the  cabin  windows  and  don't  bother  about  the 
hawsehole.  I  mean — you  see,"  added  the 
sailor,  seeing  by  the  blank  look  on  his  face 
that  Allison  did  not  understand  his  nautical 
language,  ' '  aboard  ship  we  take  rank  in  this 
way  :  First  the  captain,  then  the  mates,  then 
the  captain's  dog,  and  lastly  the  foremast- 
hands.  And  I  sup]3ose  it  must  be  the  same 
in  the  army." 

"You  don't  mean  it!"  exclaimed  Allison, 
opening  his  eyes. 

"I  do  mean  every  word  of  it.  Ask  any 
seafaring  man  and  he  will  tell  you  the  same. 
Whatever  you  do,  don't  go  before  the  mast — I 
mean  don't  go  into  the  ranks.     Get  a  com- 


256  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

mission  and  be  a  man  among  men."  ["  You'd 
look  pretty  with  straps  on  your  sliolders,  you 
would,"  said  Jack  mentally.  'Td  like  to 
gaze  upon  the  man  who  would  be  foolish 
enough  to  put  himself  under  your  orders."] 

'^  Don't  go  into  the  office  yet,"  said  Allison, 
when  the  boys  turned  about  as  if  to  move 
away.  "There's  a  crowd  in  there,  and  I  want 
you  to  stay  and  talk  to  me.  Tell  me  how  you 
got  wounded,  Marcy." 

"Let  Jack  tell  you  how  he  piloted  that 
Yankee  schooner  into  the  port  of  Newbern 
with  a  cargo  of  supplies  for  the  Confederacy," 
replied  Marcy.  He  said  this  with  an  object  in 
view  ;  and  that  object  was  to  find  out  how 
much  Allison  knew  about  Jack's  movements 
and  his  own.  Consequently,  after  his  inter- 
view with  Captain  Beardsley's  daughter,  he 
was  not  greatly  surprised  to  hear  Allison  say  : 

"Jack  hasn't  much  to  tell,  has  he?  As  I 
heard  the  story  he  had  no  trouble  at  all  in 
bringing  the  schooner  through — he  didn't  even 
see  the  smoke  of  a  blockader.  But  there's 
one  thing  about  it,"  he  added,  in  a  lower 
tone,  "you  boys  have  shut  up  the  mouths  of 


THE   BANNER   ON   THE   WALL.  257 

some  talkative  people  around  here  who  have 
been  trying  hard  to  injure  you,  especially 
Marcy." 

''  Why  should  anybody  want  to  injure  me  ?  " 
exclaimed  Marcy,  looking  astonished.  "  I 
don't  remember  that  I  ever  misused  any  one  in 
the  settlement." 

"I  never  heard  of  it,"  continued  Allison. 
''But  they  say  that  you  are  for  the  Union, 
and  that  the  only  reason  you  sliipx)ed  on 
Beardsley's  schooner  was  because  you  had  to." 

"  Some  people  around  here  say  that  I  am  for 
the  Union  ? ' '  repeated  Marcy,  as  though  he  had 
never  heard  of  such  a  thing  before.  "And 
that  I  shipped  because  I  had  to  ?  " 

"  That's  what  they  say,  sure's  you're  born  ; 
but  your  broken  arm  gives  the  lie  to  all  such 
tales  as  that.  And  as  for  Jack — did  he  know 
that  the  West  Wind  Avas  a  smuggler  when  he 
joined  her  in  Boston  ?  " 

"Of  course  he  knew  it,"  answered  Marcy. 
"He  brought  out  a  venture  and  cleared  twelve 
hundred  dollars  by  it." 

"Whew!"  whistled  Allison.  "I  wish  I 
could  make   as    much   money   as   that;  but 

17 


258  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


J 


somehow  siicli  cliances  never  come  my  way. 
But  what  is  a  venture,  anyway  ? " 

"It  is  a  speculation  that  sailors  sometimes 
go  into  on  their  own  hook,"  rejDlied  Marcy. 
"For  example.  Captain  Beardsley  wanted  me 
to  invest  my  wages  and  prize-money  in  cotton, 
sell  it  in  Nassau  for  more  than  double  what  I 
gave  for  it,  put  the  proceeds  into  medicine  and 
gun-cajDS,  and  so  double  my  money  again  when 
we  returned  to  Newbern.  If  I  had  taken  his 
advice,  I  might  have  been  four  or  five  thousand 
dollars  ahead  of  the  hounds  at  this  minute." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  joii  didn't  act 
upon  his  advice  ? "  exclaimed  Allison. 

"  Yes  ;  that's  just  what  I  mean  to  say.  You 
see,  we  stood  a  fine  chance  of  being  captured 
by  the  Yankees,  and  Beardsley  was  so  very 
much  afraid  of  it  that  he  wouldn't  load  his 
vessel  himself,  but  took  out  a  cargo  he  ob- 
tained through  a  commission  merchant.  — I  see 
Jack  is  going  into  the  post-office,  and  we 
might  as  well  go,  too.  If  you  hear  anybody 
saying  things  behind  my  back  that  they  don't 
want  to  say  to  my  face,  tell  them  to  ride  up  to 
our  house  and  look  at  the  Confederate  flag  in 


THE   BANNER  ON   THE   AVALL.  259 

our  sitting-room,  and  then  go  somewhere  and 
get  shot  before  they  take  it  upon  themselves 
to  talk  about  one  who  has  risked  his  life  while 
tlie}^  were  stopping  safe  at  home." 

'^I'll  do  it,"  said  Allison,  and  Marcy  was 
almost  ready  to  believe  that  he  meant  what  he 
said.  "But  are  you  really  flying  the  Con- 
federate colors  ?  Every  one  says  that  your 
mother ' ' 

"Yes,  I  know  they  do,"  said  Marcy,  when 
Allison  paused  and  looked  frightened.  "  They 
think  she  is  for  the  Union,  and  have  set  some 
mean  sneaks  at  work  to  get  evidence  against 
her ;  but  you  ride  out  to-morrow  or  the  next 
day  and  take  a  look  at  that  flag.  How  do  you 
do?"  he  added,  turning  about  to  shake  hands 
with  Colonel  Shelby  and  Mr.  Dillon,  who  came 
Tip  at  that  moment  and  greeted  him  with  the 
greatest  cordiality. 

"We  were  very  sorry  to  hear  of  your  mis- 
fortune," said  the  latter,  "but  you  have  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  you  have  suffered 
in  a  righteous  cause.  Did  Captain  Beardsley 
send  any  word  to  either  of  us  ? " 

No,  sir ;  but  he  sent  a  letter  to  each  of 


u 


260  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


you,"  answered  the  boy,  thrusting  his  hand 
into  his  pocket.  "  And  there  they  are.  This 
other  one  is  for  the  postmaster,  and  perhaps 
I  had  better  go  in  and  give  it  to  him." 

The  Colonel  and  his  friend  were  so  very  anx- 
ious to  learn  what  Captain  Beardsley  had  to 
say  to  them  that  they  did  not  ask  the  wounded 
blockade-runner  any  questions,  but  drew  off 
on  one  side  to  read  their  letters  ;  and  this  ac- 
tion on  their  part  went  far  toward  confirming 
Marcy's  suspicions  that  these  two  men  were 
the  ones  Beardsley  had  left  ashore  ''to  do  his 
dirty  work"  while  he  was  at  sea.  He  was  as 
certain  as  he  could  be,  without  positive  proof, 
that  those  letters  told  of  the  unsuccessful  at- 
tempts the  captain  had  made  at  different  times 
to  find  out  whether  or  not  there  Avas  any  money 
hidden  in  Mrs.  Gray's  house.  That  money 
had  been  a  constant  source  of  trouble  to  the 
boy,  but  now  he  felt  like  yelling  every  time 
he  thought  of  it.  If  their  "  secret  enemies" 
took  the  course  that  sailor  Jack  was  afraid 
they  might  take — if  they  told  the  Confederate 
authorities  that  Mrs.  Gray,  after  repudiating 
her  debts  to  Northern  merchants  (debts  that  she 


THE   BANNER   ON   THE   "WALL.  261 

never  owed),  had  concealed  the  money  instead 
of  turning  it  into  the  Confederate  treasury  as 
the  law  provided,  then  there  would  be  trouble 
indeed. 

When  Marcy  and  Allison  went  into  the  j)ost- 
office  they  found  Jack  surrounded  by  an  inter- 
ested group  of  old-time  friends,  to  whom  he 
was  giving  a  humorous  account  of  Captain 
Beardsley's  unsuccessful  effort  to  capture  the 
vessel  to  which  he  belonged. 

"It  hai)j)ened  right  here  on  our  own  coast," 
said  Jack.  "She  first  tried  to  fool  us  by 
showing  the  figures  that  were  painted  on  her 
sails  ;  but  that  wouldn't  go  down  with  our  old 
man.  Then  she  hoisted  the  English  colors, 
but  that  made  us  sheer  still  farther  away  from 
her  ;  for  what  would  a  pilot-boat  be  doing  in 
these  waters  with  a  foreign  flag  at  her  peak  ? 
Than  she  cut  loose  on  us  with  her  bow  gun, 
and  we  yelled  and  shot  back  with  sporting 
rifles.  What  do  you  think  of  a  fellow  who 
will  try  his  best  to  bring  trouble  to  his  only 
brother  by  showing  a  friendly  flag,  and  then 
shoot  cannons  at  him  when  he  finds  he  can't 
do  it?    That's  the  way  Marcy  served  me^  and 


262  MARCY,  THE   BLOCK ADE-KUNJN^ER. 


J 


more  than  that,  he  had  the  face  to  tell  me  of 
it  when  I  came  home  last  night." 

Of  course  this  raised  a  laugh  at  Marcy's  ex- 
X)ense,  but  he  didn't  seem  to  mind  it.  He  gave 
the  postmaster  Captain  Beardsley's  letter  and 
asked  for  the  mail  in  his  mother's  box. 

''And  of  course  when  the  brig  escaped 
you  yelled  as  loudly  as  any  Yankee  in  the 
crew,"  observed  one  of  his  auditors.  "I 
suppose  you  had  to  in  order  to  keep  out  of 
trouble." 

"But  I  don't  reckon  he'll  do  it  again  in  a 
hurry,"  said  another.  "When  he  brought 
that  Yankee  schooner  into  Newbern  he  proved 
to  my  satisfaction  that  he  is  as  good  a  Confed- 
erate as  any  man  in  the  State.  Why  didn't 
you  stay  with  her.  Jack,  and  make  yourself 
rich  by  running  the  blockade  ? " 

"  I  had  two  reasons,"  answered  the  sailor. 
*'  In  the  first  place  I  wanted  to  come  home  for 
awhile  ;  and  in  the  next,  there  is  too  much 
danger  these  times  in  cruising  about  on  an 
unarmed  vessel.  The  next  time  I  ship  it  will 
be  aboard  of  something  that  can  fight." 

"Did  you  hear  any  talk  of  an  ironclad  that  is 


THE  BANNER   ON   THE   WALL.  263 

being  built  in  the  river  a  few  miles  above  New- 
bern?"  asked  a  third. 

Jack  winked  first  one  eye  and  then  the 
other,  looked  sharply  into  the  face  of  each 
member  of  the  group  around  him,  and  then 
turned  about  and  softly  rapped  the  counter 
with  his  riding-whip. 

"You  needn't  be  afraid  to  speak  freely," 
said  the  postmaster,  who  knew  what  the  sailor 
meant  by  this  pantomime.  "There  isn't  a 
traitor  within  the  hearing  of  your  voice.  We 
are  all  true  blue." 

"One  can't  be  too  careful  in  times  like 
these,"  replied  Jack,  turning  around  again  and 
facing  the  crowd.  "After  I  have  been  among 
you  awhile,  I  shall  know  who  my  friends  are. 
I  did  hear  some  talk  of  a  heavy  vessel  that  is 
to  be  added  to  the  defensive  force  of  the  city, 
and  which  might  some  time  go  outside  and 
scatter  the  blockading  lieet,  but  I  didn't  go  up 
to  take  a  look  at  her.  I  couldn't  sjiare  the 
time.  She'll  need  a  crew  when  she  is  com- 
pleted, and  if  I  leave  the  settlement  between  two 
days — if  I  am  here  to-night  and  gone  to-morrow 
morning — my  friends  needn't  worry  over  me." 


264  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNEK. 

''We  understand.  You'll  be  on  board  an 
armed  vessel  fighting  for  your  principles." 

"You're  right  I  will.  Now,  George,"  he 
added,  turning  to  the  clerk  and  slamming  his 
saddle-bags  upon  the  counter,  "  I  want  one  of 
those  pockets  filled  with  plug  tobacco,  and 
the  other  stuffed  with  the  gaudiest  bandanas 
you've  got  in  the  store." 

The  clerk  took  the  saddle-bags,  and  when 
they  were  jjassed  back  to  their  owner  a  few 
minutes  later,  they  were  so  full  that  it  was  a 
matter  of  some  difficulty  to  buckle  the  flaps. 
Then  the  boys  said  good-bye  and  left  the  store. 
They  started  oU  in  a  lope,  but  when  they  were 
a  mile  or  so  from  the  town  and  alone  on  the 
road,  they  drew  their  horses  down  to  a  walk, 
and  Jack  said : 

''  Do  they  take  me  for  one  of  them  or  not?" 

''They  pretend  to,  but  everybody  is  so  sly 
and  treacherous  that  you  can't  place  reli- 
ance ui3on  anything,"  answered  his  brother. 
"  What  you  said  about  leaving  home  between 
two  days  was  good.  It  will  help  me,  for  I  can 
refer  to  it  when  you  are  gone.  Now,  Jack,  you 
must  put  up  that  rebel  flag  the  minute  you 


THE   BANNER  ON   THE   WALL.  265 

get  home.  I  told  Allison  about  it,  and  if  he 
should  ride  out  some  day  and  find  the  flag 
wasn't  there,  he  would  suspect  that  we  are 
not  just  the  sort  of  folks  he  has  been  led  to 
believe." 

"All  right!  And  our  next  hard  work  must 
be  to  hide  your  money  and  paint  that  schooner 
of  yours.  We'll  go  about  it  openly  and  above 
board.  We'll  say  she  is  scaling, — if  she  isn't 
she  ought  to  be,  for  it  is  a  long  time  since  she 
saw  a  brush, — and  that  she  needs  another  coat 
of  paint  to  protect  her  from  the  weather." 

This  programme  was  duly  carried  out.  Of 
course  Mrs.  Gray  protested,  mildly,  when 
Jack  brought  down  his  rebel  flag,  and,  after 
spreading  it  upon  the  floor  so  that  his  mother 
could  have  a  good  view  of  it,  proceeded  to 
hang  it  upon  the  sitting-room  wall ;  but  when 
the  boys  told  her  why  they  thought  it  best  to 
place  it  there,  she  became  silent  and  permitted 
them  to  do  as  they  pleased.  While  they  were 
putting  the  trophy  in  jDOsition,  Jack  found 
opportunity  to  whisper  to  his  brother: 

"  Now,  if  any  of  our  officious  neighbors  give 
the  Confederate  officers  a  hint  that  mother  is 


266  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

keeping  back  money  that  she  ought  to  turn 
into  the  treasury,  and  they  come  here  to 
search  the  house,  they'll  take  a  look  at  this 
flag  and  go  away  without  touching  a  thing. 
Mark  what  I  tell  you." 

"But  suppose  the  Yankees  come  here  and 
take  a  look  at  it;  then  what?"  whispered 
Marcy,  in  reply. 

"  Well,  that  will  be  a  black  horse  of  another 
color,"  said  Jack.  "  They'll  come  here — 
don't  you  lose  any  sleep  worrying  about  that ; 
but  when  they  come,  you  must  see  to  it  that 
this  flag  is  out  of  sight.  I'll  say  one  thing  for 
the  rebels,"  he  said  aloud,  turning  his  head 
on  one  side  and  gazing  critically  at  his  prize, 
"they've  got  good  taste.  I've  seen  the  colors 
of  all  civilized  nations,  and  that  flag  right 
there  on  the  wall  is  the  handsomest  in  the 
world,  save  one." 

"But  think  of  tlie  principles  it  represents," 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Gray.  "Disunion  and  sla- 
very." 

"Of  course,"  replied  Jack.  "But  when 
these  fanatics  have  been  soundly  thrashed, 
there  will  be  no  such  things  as  disunion  and 


THE   BANNER   ON   THE   WALL.  267 

slavery.  They  will  be  buried  out  of  sight.  I 
was  speaking  of  the  rebel  flag,  which,  next  to 
our  own,  is  the  prettiest  I  ever  saw.  Their 
naval  uniforms  are  handsome,  too." 

Of  course  it  soon  became  known  among  the 
servants  that  there  was  a  Confederate  banner 
displayed  u2:>on  the  walls  of  the  "  great  house," 
and  those  who  came  into  the  room  turned  the 
whites  of  their  eyes  at  it  and  then  looked  at 
Marcy  and  Jack  in  utter  astonishment.  But 
the  boys  did  not  appear  to  notice  them  nor 
did  they  volunteer  any  exj)lanation — not  even 
when  old  Morris  came  in  to  satisfy  himself 
that  the  astounding  news  he  had  heard  was 
really  true.  The  sight  of  the  emblem,  which 
he  knew  was  upheld  by  men  who  were  fighting 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  keeping  him  and  his 
race  in  bondage,  struck  him  dumb,  and  he  left 
the  room  as  silently  as  he  had  entered  it.  In 
less  than  half  an  hour  the  news  reached  Han- 
son's ears,  and  that  worthy,  astonished  and 
perplexed,  waited  impatiently  for  night  to 
come  so  that  he  could  ride  into  town  and  tell 
Colonel  Shelby  about  it. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CONFLICTING  REPORTS. 

DURINGr  the  next  three  weeks  Marcy  Gray 
would  have  lived  in  a  fever  of  suspense 
had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  courageous, 
hapi)y-go-lucky  sailor  Jack.  He  could  not  for 
a  moment  forget  the  letters  which,  at  Caj)tain 
Beardsley's  request,  he  had  delivered  to 
Colonel  Shelby  and  the  rest.  Did  they  convey 
to  those  who  received  them  the  information 
that  Beard sley  no  longer  believed  that  there 
was  money  concealed  in  Mrs.  Gray's  house,  or 
did  they  contain  instructions  concerning  a 
new  plot  that  was  to  be  worked  up  against 
Marcy  and  his  mother  ?  The  boys  did  not 
know,  and  never  found  out  for  certain  what  it 
was  that  the  captain  wrote  in  those  letters. 
That  night,  after  placing  the  captured  Confed- 
erate flag  upon  the  wall  of  the  sitting-room, 
Jack  turned  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  his 

268 


CONFLICTING   EEPORTS.  269 

'^  venture  "  over  to  liis  mother,  buried  Marcy's 
prize  money  in  one  of  the  flower  beds,  and 
bright  and  early  the  next  morning  went  to 
work  to  disguise  the  Fairy  Belle  so  that  ''her 
own  brother  wouldn't  know  her."  If  the 
neighboring  planters  who  Tisited  tliem,  and 
whom  they  visited  in  return,  had  any  suspicion 
that  the  captured  flag  in  the  sitting-room  did 
not  express  the  political  sentiments  of  the  fam- 
ily, they  said  nothing  to  indicate  it.  Their  life 
apparently  was  as  quiet  and  peaceful  as  though 
such  a  thing  as  a  slaveholders'  rebellion  had 
never  been  heard  of  ;  but  one  day  it  was  broken 
up  most  unexpectedly,  and  young  Allison  was 
the  first  to  tell  them  of  it. 

"  Glorious  victory  of  the  Confederate  arms," 
he  shouted,  jumping  off  the  steps  of  the  store 
in  which  the  post-office  was  located,  and  run- 
ning full  tilt  toward  the  place  where  Jack  and 
Marcy  were  hitching  their  horses.  "Didn't 
we  always  say  the  Northern  people  had  no 
business  alongside  of  us?  The  crowd  in  the 
post-office  have  cheered  themselves  hoarse,  and 
you  fellows  ought  to  have  been  here  to  join 
in." 


270  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

"Has  there  been  another  fight?"  asked 
Jack.  "  Where  did  it  take  place  and  how 
much  of  a  fight  was  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  yoLi  see,"  said  Allison,  "there hasn't 
exactly  been  any  fight  yet,  but  there's  going 
to  be  if  the  cowardly  Yankees  will  only  give 
us  a  chance  to  get  at  them." 

"Oh,"  said  Jack,  while  an  expression  of 
disgust  settled  on  his  face.  "  Where  is  it  go- 
ing to  come  off  and  how  do  you  happen  to 
know  so  much  about  it  ?  " 

"Why,  the  authorities  know  all  about  it, 
and  I  suppose  the  papers  got  the  information 
from  them,"  replied  Allison.  "At  any  rate, 
there's  a  strong  land  and  naval  expedition  be- 
ing fitted  out  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and  it  is 
coming  down  here  to  destroy  forts  Hatteras 
and  Clark  and  block  up  Hatteras  Inlet." 

"And  that  expedition  hasn't  got  here  yet  1 " 

"No.  It's  going  to  sail  on  Monday.  We 
know  all  about  it  in  sjDite  of  the  efforts  the 
Yankees  have  made  to  keep  it  secret." 

"If  the  ships  haven't  even  sailed  yet,  why 
do  you  raise  such  a  row  over  a  Confederate 
victory  that  is  not  won  ? "  asked  Jack. 


COXFLICTIXG   REPORTS.  271 

*'  Oh,  it's  going  to  be  won,"  said  Allison 
confidently.  "Everybody  says  so,  and  we 
thought  we  would  begin  to  holler  in  time. 
What  we  are  afraid  of  is,  that  old  Hatteras 
will  turn  in  and  fight  the  battle  for  us  by  kick- 
ing up  such  a  sea  that  the  Yankee  ships  won't 
dare  come  near  the  Inlet.  That  would  be  bad 
for  us,  for  of  course  if  they  keej)  beyond  the 
range  of  our  guns  we  can't  sink  them.  Oh, 
they're  bound  to  get  a  whipping  if  we  can  only 
get  a  chance  to  give  it  to  them." 

Although  the  Confederates  boasted  loudly 
of  the  strong  fortifications  which  (so  they  said) 
had  been  thrown  up  everywhere  along  their 
coast,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  warn  the 
Federal  government  that  the  most  powerful 
expedition  that  could  be  fitted  out  against 
these  fortifications  would  be  sure  to  meet  with 
disaster,  Mai'cy  Gray  Avas  well  aware  that  the 
coast  was  almost  defenseless,  because  one  of 
his  papers,  the  Augusta  CJironicle  and  Sentinel^ 
was  brave  enough  to  tell  the  truth  now  and 
then.  Only  a  few  days  before,  this  paper  had 
called  upon  the  government  to  x)rovide  for  coast 
defense  by  "organizing  and  drilling  infantry 


272  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

and  guerrillas  at  home,"  so  that  there  would 
be  no  need  to  call  upon  the  Confederate  Presi- 
dent for  troops.  The  same  paper  also  stated 
that  the  Union  naval  officers  knew  the  bays 
and  inlets  along  the  coast  like  a  book  from 
surveys  in  their  possession,  and  if  so  disposed, 
there  were  many  places  where  they  might  raid 
and  do  damage  before  they  could  be  driven  off. 
But  events  proved  that  the  Union  forces  did 
not  go  down  to  the  coast  of  the  Carolinas  just 
to  give  the  Confederates  the  fun  of  driving 
them  off.  When  once  they  got  a  foothold 
there  they  kei^t  it,  in  sj)ite  of  all  the  efforts 
that  were  made  to  dislodge  them. 

Having  secured  their  horses  and  listened  to 
all  that  young  Allison  had  to  tell  them  con- 
cerning the  glorious  victory  that  had  not  yet 
been  won,  the  brothers  bent  their  steps  toward 
the  post-office,  where  they  found  a  crowd  of 
men  and  boys  who  seemed  to  be  trjdng  to  make 
themselves  ridiculous.  They  acted  in  the  same 
senseless  way  that  those  travelling  companions 
did  whom  Marcy  Gray  found  on  the  train  when 
he  left  Barrington,  and  could  not  have  been 
more  excited  and  jubilant  if  the  five  war  ships 


CONFLICTING   REPORTS.  273 

and  two  transport  steamers,  that  were  to  operate 
against  the  forts  at  Hatteras  Inlet,  had  already 
been  wrecked  on  the  bar  or  sent  to  the  bottom 
by  Confederate  shells.  One  of  these  two 
things  was  sure  to  happen  to  that  exj)edition  ; 
they  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  on  that  point. 

Marcy  and  his  brother  did  not  linger  long  at 
the  post-office  after  they  received  their  mail, 
for  the  boyish  antics  and  confident  boast- 
ings of  the  crowd  that  filled  every  foot  of  space 
between  the  two  counters,  were  more  than  they 
could  stand.  Pleading  business  as  an  excuse, 
they  got  away  as  soon  as  they  could,  and  un- 
folded their  papers  wdien  they  were  in  their 
saddles,  only  to  find  that  Allison  had  told  them 
about  all  there  was  to  be  learned  regarding 
the  Hatteras  expedition.  There  were  the  edi- 
torials, of  course,  and  when  the  boys  glanced 
over  them  they  knew  where  that  crowd  in  the 
post-office  got  its  inspiration. 

''These  editors  remind  me  of  Allison,"  said 
Marcy.  "Seated  in  their  comfortable  rooms, 
hundreds  of  miles  away  from  the  threatened 
point,  they  speak  of  our  coming  victory  and  the 
pounding  loe  are  going  to  give  tlie  Yankee  ships 

18 


274  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

tlie  minute  they  come  within  range.  But  I'll 
tell  you  one  thing,  Jack — that  exx^edition  isn't 
strong  enough." 

"Don't  worry  about  that,"  replied  Jack. 
'-Uncle  Sam  won't  send  a  boy  to  mill  as  long 
as  he's  got  a  man  handy.  If  they  sail  from 
Fortress  Monroe  on  Monday,  they  ought  to 
get  here  on  Tuesday  afternoon  at  the  latest. 
Probably  the  fight  will  begin  on  Wednesday. 
Now  let's  watch  the  weather,  and  see  whether 
or  not  Allison's  amiable  wash  is  likely  to  be 
gratified.  Now  Marcy,  I  Avill  tell  you  some- 
thing. If  the  Federals  win  a  victory  tliej^  will 
garrison  those  forts  to  break  up  blockade  run- 
ning, and  carry  on  operations  farther  down 
the  coast.  As  soon  as  we  hear  thev  are  doino- 
that,  you  must  stand  by  with  the  Fairy 
Belle  r 

"  She'll  be  ready  when  you  want  her,  but  it 
is  the  hardest  task  one  brother  ever  put  upon 
another,"  answered  Marcy. 

"I  am  sorry  to  ask  you  to  do  it,"  said  Jack, 
"but  it  is  my  only  chance;  and  you  can  see 
for  yourself  that  I  can't  live  at  home.  Our 
whole  family  is  under  suspicion  ;  and  if  I  don't 


CONFLICTING   REPOKTS.  275 

get  away  while  I  can,  there  will  be  such  a  pres- 
sure brought  to  bear  upon  me  [by  and  by,  that 
I  shall  be  forced  to  enter  the  rebel  service  or 
take  to  the  swamps." 

"  Why  Jack,  you  know  you  wouldn't  do  such 
a  thing  as  that,"  exclaimed  Marcy. 

''  Hide  in  the  swamps?  I'd  do  it  in  a  min- 
ute sooner  than  lift  a  hand  against  the  flag 
that  your  grandfather  and  mine  died  under, 
and  under  which  I  have  sailed  the  world  over. 
Why  Marcy,  you  claim  to  love  the  old  flag, 
but  I  tell  you  that  you  don't  know  any  more 
about  it  than  the  man  in  the  moon.  Now  don' t 
get  huffy,  but  wait  until  you  have  laid  for 
long  weeks  in  a  foreign  port,  thousands  of  miles 
from  home  and  friends,  looking  for  a  cargo 
which  takes  its  own  time  in  coming,  and  sur- 
rounded by  people  whose  hostility  to  all  white 
men  is  such  that  they  would  cut  your  throat 
in  a  second  if  they  Avere  not  afraid  of  the  con- 
sequences, and  let  some  one  on  deck  report  a 
stranger  inside.  You  look  over  the  side  and 
see  a  handsome  ship  standing  in  with  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  waving  in  the  air.  When  you 
have  felt  every  nerve  in  you  thrill  with  excite- 


276  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNEE. 

ment  and  pride,  as  I  have  on  sncli  occasions, 
then  you  can  talk  of  }- our  love  for  the  old  flag, 
ril  fight  for  it  as  long  as  I  can  stand  ;  but  I'll 
starve  and  die  in  the  swamp  before  I  will  fight 
against  it." 

Sailor  Jack  spoke  with  unusual  warmth, 
and  if  Marcy's  patriotism  had  been  on  the 
wane,  his  brother's  earnest  words  Avould  have 
infused  new  life  and  strength  into  it.  If  the 
Northern  people,  with  their  immense  resources, 
were  animated  by  the  same  spirit,  it  would  not 
be  long,  he  told  himself,  before  the  old  flag 
would  crowd  its  secession  rival  to  the  wall. 
■  Of  course  Mrs.  Gray  was  very  much  alarmed 
by  the  startling  news  the  boys  brought  from 
Nashville,  and  she  straightway  began  talking 
of  hiding  the  money  Jack  had  given  her,  and 
of  stowing  the  family  silver  in  some  safe  place  ; 
but  Jack  laughed  at  the  idea. 

''  Wh}^,  mother,  the  Northern  soldiers  are 
not  coming  down  hereto  steal  our  valuables," 
said  he.     "  Thev  are  not  robbers." 

ft/ 

''But  have  you  never  read  how  lawless  all 
soldiers  are?"  inquired  Mrs.  Gray.  "They 
take  delight  in  despoiling  an  enemy.     It  seems 


CONFLICTING   REPORTS.  277 

to  be  part  of  tlieir  creed.  And  then — look  a' 
that,"  she  added,  pointing  toward  the  rebel 
flag. 

"That  will  not  be  in  sight  when  the  Feder- 
als come  around  here,"  replied  Marcy.  "I'll 
make  it  my  business  to  get  it  out  of  the  way, 
and  then  I'll  rip  up  one  of  my  bed  quilts  and 
show  them  my  Union  colors." 

The  fear  that  had  taken  possession  of 
Marcy' s  mother — that  possibly  the  Union 
forces  might  ascend  the  Roanoke  River,  cap- 
ture Plymouth,  and  devastate  the  surrounding 
country — now  took  possession  of  Marcy  also. 
Northern  soldiers  had  not  yet  been  given  an 
opportunity  to  show  the  merciful  way  in  which 
the  inhabitants  of  captured  cities  were  to  be 
treated  during  the  war,  and  Marcy  may  be  par- 
doned for  looking  into  the  future  with  fear  and 
trembling.  The  neighboring  planters  and 
their  families  did  much  to  add  to  Mrs.  Grav's 
fears  and  Marcy' s,  as  well  as  to  increase  the 
general  feeling  of  uneasiness  which  began 
spreading  through  the  settlement  as  soon  as 
the  newspapers  arrived.  If  they  believed,  as 
the  Charleston  and  Newbern  editors  seemed  to 


278  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

believe, — that  tlie  attack  on  Hatteras  Inlet  was 
sure  to  end  in  failure, — tliey  nevertheless 
thought  it  the  part  of  wisdom  to  prepare  for 
the  worst ;  and  they  at  once  began  the  work  of 
concealing  everything  that  was  likely  to  excite 
the  cupidity  of  the  lawless  Union  soldiers.  Re- 
membering what  their  Mobile  papers  had  said 
about  the  ragged,  half-starved  appearance  of 
the  Massachusetts  troops  who  marched  through 
the  streets  of  Baltimore,  they  even  hid  their 
clothing  and  carted  the  contents  of  their 
smoke-houses  and  corn-cribs  into  the  woods. 
But  busy  as  they  were,  some  of  the  women 
found  time  to  run  over  and  compare  notes  with 
Mrs.  Gray,  and  see  w^hat  she  thought  about  it ; 
and  because  she  tried  to  accept  Jack's  view  of 
the  situation,  and  believed  that  there  would  be 
no  invasion  of  the  Union  forces,  the  visitors 
went  away  to  spread  the  report  elsewhere  that 
Mrs.  Gray  wasn't  afraid  of  the  Yankees  be- 
cause she  sympathized  with  them. 

^' Would  you  believe  it,  she  isn't  hiding  a 
thing,"  said  one  of  these  gossips.  ^'  She  looks 
white,  but  she  can't  make  me  think  that  she's 
frightened  as  long  as  she  sits  there  in  her 


CONFLICTING   REPORTS.  279 

rocking-cliair  as  cool  as  a  cucumber.  I  know 
that  Jack  belongs  to  a  blockade-runner,  that 
Jack  piloted  a  Yankee  smuggler  into  one  of 
our  ports,  and  that  Mrs.  Gray  has  a  Confeder- 
ate flag  hung  up  iu  her  sitting-room  ;  but  I 
don't  care  for  that.  She's  Union,  the  whole 
family  is  Union,  and  I  know  it." 

Mrs.  Gray  and  the  boys  always  looked 
troubled  after  an  interview  with  one  of  these 
busybodies,  who  did  not  scruple  to  magnify 
every  rumor  that  came  to  their  ears,  and 
wished  from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts  that 
they  would  stay  at  home  and  attend  to  the 
business  of  hiding  their  valuables  ;  but  when 
the  day  drew  to  a  close  the  gossips  ceased  to 
trouble  them,  for  they  were  afraid  to  go  out 
of  doors  after  dark. 

''And  between  you  and  me  I  don't  blame 
them  for  being  afraid,"  said  Jack,  when  he  and 
Marcy  went  up  to  bed.  ' '  It  is  in  times  like 
these  that  the  turbulent  and  vicious  members 
of  the  community  show  their  hands.  The 
rebels  have  been  maltreating  Union  people  all 
over  the  South,  and  I  don't  know  why  we 
should  expect  to  escape.     Well,"  he  added, 


280  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNEK. 


slioving  a  brace  of  revolvers  under  his  pillow, 
while  Marcy  provided  for  his  own  defence  in 
the  same  w^ay,  "if  anybody  comes  we'll  give 
him  as  good  as  he  sends,  provided  he  gives  us 
half  a  chance." 

The  moment  Jack  Gray  opened  his  eyes  the 
next  morning  he  jumped  out  of  bed  and  drew 
the  curtain.  "All  right  so  far,"  said  he,  in  a 
satisfied  tone  ;  "and  that  rebel  Allison  is  in  a 
fair  way  to  be  disappointed." 

"But  you  must  remember  that  the  fleet 
hasn't  arrived  off  the  cape  yet,"  Marcy  re- 
minded him.  "With  the  best  of  luck  it  can- 
not get  there  until  late  this  afternoon.  I  wish 
we  could  go  down  and  watch  the  fight." 

"I  wish  we  could  be  in  it,"  replied  Jack, 
"for  I  just  know  it  will  end  in  a  Union  vic- 
tory." 

But  as  they  could  do  neither  one  thing  nor 
the  other,  they  were  obliged  to  possess  their 
souls  in  patience.  Of  course  they  went  to 
Nashville  after  breakfast,  and  of  course,  too, 
they  found  in  the  jDost-office  the  same  excited 
and  confident  crowd  they  had  met  the  day  be- 
fore, who  had  all  sorts  of  stories  to  tell  them. 


CONFLICTING   REPORTS.  281 

"Report  says  that  the  most  of  the  Union 
ships  foundered  before  they  were  fairly  out  of 
sight  of  Fortress  Monroe,"  shouted  Allison, 
in  great  glee.  "  I  am  sorry  for  that,  for  I 
wanted  our  boys  to  have  the  honor  of  sending 
them  to  the  bottom." 

"Another  report  says  that  one  of  the  old 
tubs  that  the  Yankees  were  using  for  a  trans- 
port ship  sprung  a  leak  and  went  down  with 
every  soul  on  board,"  said  a  second  speaker. 

"Why  didn't  the  other  vessels  save  them?" 
asked  Marcy. 

"They  couldn't.     There  was  a  heavy  gale 


on." 


"Who  brought  these  reports?"  inquired 
Jack. 

"The  papers,  of  course." 

"  How  did  the  papers  get  them,  seeing  that 
all  telegraphic  communication  with  the  North 
is  cut  off  ?  "  continued  Jack. 

"  It  makes  no  difference  how  they  got  the 
news  so  long  as  they  got  it,"  exclaimed  Alli- 
son. "  You  talk  and  act  as  though  you  don't 
want  to  believe  it." 

"It  is  no  concern  of  yours  how  I  talk  and 


282  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

act,  you  stay-at-liome  blow-hard.  My  com- 
mon sense  will  not  let  me  believe  any  such 
reports,  which  are  not  reports  at  all,  but 
something  those  newspaper  men  made  up 
all  out  of  their  own  heads,  on  purpose  to 
give  such  fellows  as  you  a  subject  to  talk 
about.  Some  of  the  fleet  may  have  sprung  a 
leak — probably  they  did  if  they  were  not  sea- 
worthy ;  but  it  wasn't  in  a  gale.  I  watched  the 
weather  closely  last  night,  and  if  there  had 
been  a  blow  outside  we  should  have  felt  some 
of  the  force  of  it,"  said  Jack.  He  spoke 
calmly  enough,  but  he  gave  Allison  such  a 
look  that  the  latter  did  not  think  it  safe  to 
say  another  word  until  the  brothers  were 
well  on  their  way  toward  home. 

During  the  rest  of  the  day  Jack  and  Marcy 
did  little  else  but  stroll  about  the  grounds  and 
talk — they  had  no  heart  for  work  of  any  sort. 
Every  time  Jack  took  out  his  watch  he  would 
offer  some  such  remark  as  this  :  "If  the  ex- 
pedition has  had  no  bad  luck,  it  ought  to  be 
off  such  and  such  a  place  by  this  time  ;"  and 
at  three  in  the  afternoon  he  electrified  his 
brother  by  declaring  confidently:    "Now  the 


confltcti:n^g  reports.  283 

ships  are  off  Hatteras,  and  are  probably  look- 
ing about  for  a  good  place  to  put  the  trooi)s 
ashore."  And  subsequent  events  proved  that 
he  guessed  pretty  close  to  the  mark,  for  his- 
tory says,  "By  two  o'clock  on  Tuesday  the 
fleet  arrived  off  Hatteras,  and  the  Montlcello 
was  despatched  to  reconnoiter  the  position,  and 
to  look  out  a  suitable  landing-place." 

Thus  far  everything  had  gone  well.  The 
weather  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  the 
hearts  of  the  loyal  people  along  that  coast  beat 
high  with  hope  ;  but  when  Jack  Gray  drew  the 
window  curtain  on  Wednesday  morning,  he 
turned  to  his  brother  with  a  look  of  disa^D- 
pointment  on  his  face. 

"  They  will  probably  try  to  land  some  of  the 
troops  to-day  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  Fort 
Hatteras  garrison  after  the  war  ships  have 
Avhipped  them,"  said  he.  "But  if  they  don't 
get  about  it  x>retty  soon,  I  am  afraid  thej^'ll 
not  make  it.  It's  going  to  blow  by-and-by, 
and  if  the  wind  comes  from  the  southeast,  as 
it  generally  does,  the  ships  will  have  to  make 
an  offing  to  secure  their  own  safety." 

And  that  was  just  the  way  things  turned  out. 


284  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

That  morning  some  of  General  Butler's  troops 
were  landed  a  few  miles  from  the  forts  under 
cover  of  some  of  the  gunboats,  while  the  others 
opened  a  hot  fire  upon  the  fortifications.  The 
battle  thus  commenced  lasted  from  nine  o'clock 
until  almost  night,  and  then  Fort  Clark  was 
abandoned,  while  the  flag  was  hauled  down  on 
Fort  Hatteras  in  token  of  surrender,  where- 
upon the  Monticello  steamed  into  the  inlet ; 
but  when  she  came  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  the  fort,  the  heavy  guns  of  the  Confeder- 
ates opened  upon  her  with  such  terrible  effect 
that  she  was  badly  cut  up,  and  in  danger  of 
sinking.  The  man  in  command  of  the  fort 
who  was  guilty  of  this  act  of  treachery  was 
Commodore  Barron,  formerly  of  the  United 
States  JSTavy.  He  would  have  scorned  to  do 
such  a  thing  while  the  old  flag  waved  above 
him,  but  when  he  threw  off  his  allegiance  to 
the  government  he  had  sworn  to  defend,  he 
threw  off  his  manhood  with  it.  But  he  gained 
nothing  by  it.  The  battle  was  fiercely  renewed 
by  the  Union  forces,  and  the  next  day  Commo- 
dore Barron  hoisted  the  white  flag  and  surren- 
dered himself  and  his  garrison  uncondition- 


CONFLICTING    REPORTS.  285 

ally.  In  going  off  to  the  fleet  he  was  obliged 
to  pass  close  under  the  guns  of  the  WabasJi,  a 
a  fine  vessel  which,  six  months  before,  he  had 
himself  commanded  with  honor. 

While  these  events  were  taking  place  at 
Hatteras  Inlet,  Marcy  and  his  brother  re- 
mained at  home,  waiting  with  as  much 
patience  as  they  could  to  see  how  the  battle 
Avas  going  to  end.  They  knew  there  was  a 
battle  going  on,  for  they  heard  about  it  when 
they  went  to  the  post-office  on  Thursday  morn- 
ing ;  and  if  they  had  believed  all  that  was  told 
them,  they  would  have  gone  home  very  much 
disheartened.  One  man  assured  them  (and  he 
got  his  information  from  his  papers)  that  the 
remnant  of  the  fleet,  that  is  to  say  all  the 
vessels  that  had  not  been  wrecked  when  the 
expedition  left  Fortress  Monroe,  had  made  its 
appearance  in  due  time,  begun  the  assault  in 
the  most  gallant  manner,  and  the  few  that  had 
not  been  sunk  or  disabled  by  the  seventeen 
heavy  guns  of  the  forts,  had  been  scattered  by 
the  gale.  The  flag  of  the  Confederacy  waved 
triumphant,  and  Hatteras  Inlet  was  yet  open 
to  blockade-runners. 


286  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

When  the  two  were  on  their  way  home,  and 
each  had  read  all  he  cared  to  read  in  papers 
that  did  not  give  any  reliable  information, 
Marcy  inquired  : 

"How  much  of  those  stories  do  you  be- 
lieve?" 

''  'Not  quite  half,"  replied  Jack.  "  Perhaps 
some  of  the  attacking  fleet  were  sunk  ;  they 
are  liable  to  be  when  they  go  into  action.  But 
I  believe  that  if  our  fellows  were  whipped, 
they  were  whipped  by  the  gale  and  not  by  the 
forts.  We  ought  to  hear  something  definite 
in  the  course  of  a  few  days." 

And  they  heard  something  the  very  next 
morning  ;  but  even  then,  to  quote  from  Jack, 
who  was  very  much  disgusted  when  he  said  it, 
they  "didn't  get  the  straight  of  the  story." 
Young  Allison  did  not  come  out  to  greet  them 
when  they  drew  up  their  horses  at  the  hitch- 
ing-rack  (he  objected  to  being  called  a  stay-at- 
home  blow-hard),  but  Colonel  Shelby  and  his 
intimate  friend,  Dillon,  were  standing  close 
by,  and  the  boys  noticed  that  they  looked 
very  solemn. 

"  Well,  the  agony  is  over,"  said  the  colonel. 


CONFLICTING    REPORTS.  287 

''Have  you  received  some  reliable  news  at 
last?"  exclaimed  Jack.  "How  did  it  come 
out  ?    AVliicli  Avlnj)ped  ? " 

"Oh,  the  Federals  overcame  us  with  the 
force  of  numbers  aided  by  their  long-range 
guns,"  answered  the  colonel.  "My  pax3er 
acknowledges  a  defeat,  but  says  it  doesn't 
amount  to  anything,  for  it  will  not  help  the 
enemy  in  any  way." 

"It  will  close  Hatteras  against  blockade- 
runners,  will  it  not  ?  "  said  Marcy. 

"  Oh,  that  doesn't  amount  to  a  row  of  x)ins," 
said  the  colonel.  "  We  have  Wilmington, 
Charleston,  and  a  dozen  other  ports  that  the 
Yankees  can't  shut  up  for  want  of  a  suitable 
fleet.  They  haven't  stationed  a  ship  off 
Crooked  Inlet  yet,  and  you  and  Captain 
Beardsley " 

"I  know  they  haven't  put  a  ship  there," 
Marcy  interposed.  "But  if  they  didn't  have 
the  wickedest  kind  of  a  steam  launch  at  that 
very  place  the  last  time  I  came  through,  I 
don't  want  to  lay  up  anything  for  old  age. 
That  night's  work  put  the  blockaders  on  their 
guard,  and  we  can't  use  that  Inlet  any  more. 


288  ]\[ARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

Beyond  a  doubt  they  pulled  up  our  buoys,  and 
more  than  that,  they'll  watch  it  as  a  terrier 
watches  a  ra thole.  Beardsley  will  have  to  lay 
his  schooner  up  or  go  somewhere  else." 

"You  will  go  with  him,  I  suppose?"  said 
Dillon  carelessly. 

"  I  am  ordered  to  report  at  the  end  of  ninety 
days,"  rei^lied  Marcy,  who  knew  that  the 
question  was  meant  for  a  "feeler."  "  If  I  live 
I  shall  do  so  ;  and  I  expect  to  stay  with  the 
schooner  as  long  as  she  is  in  the  business." 

"As  for  me,  I  shall  report  in  less  than 
ninety  days,"  said  Jack.  "I've  a  notion  to 
start  for  Newbern  to-morrow ;  and  if  I  find 
that  things  are  working  as  I  should  like  to 
have  them,  I  will  return  and  say  good-bye 
to  mother,  and  some  fine  morning  j^ou'll  see 
Marcy  ride  down  to  the  post-ofiice  alone." 

"Good  for  you.  Jack!"  exclaimed  the 
colonel,  thrusting  out  his  hand.  "I  looked  for 
something  like  this  when  I  heard  that  you  had 
purchased  a  Confederate  flag  and  brought  it 
home  with  you.  Where  did  you  get  the  flag, 
if  it  is  a  fair  question  ? " 

"Of    a  good    Confederate,"    replied    Jack 


COTTFLICTING   REPORTS.  289 

readily.     ''He  left  it  in  a  certain  x)lace,  and 
when  I  saw  my  chance  I  took  it." 

"  Had  to  take  it  on  the  sly,  did  yon  ?  Then 
there  must  have  been  some  Union  men  hang- 
ing around." 

"  There  were,  several  of  them  ;  and  they  were 
fighting  mad,  too.  Bat  I  got  away  with  the 
flag." 

"  I  hope  it  will  not  be  the  means  of  bringing 
mischief  to  you  and  your  mother,"  said  the 
colonel;  ''but  if  I  were  in  your  place,  1 
wouldn't  make  it  so  conspicuous.  Now,  when 
you  go  to  Newbern  tojenlist  in  the  army " 

' '  But  if  I  go  there,  it  will  not  be  for  any 
such  imrpose,"  interrupted  Jack.  "On  land 
I  am  as  awkward  as  a  mud-turtle  ;  but  when  I 
am  at  sea,  I  can  get  about  with  the  best  of 
them.  I  shall  go  into  the  navy  if  I  can  get 
the  chance." 

"Never  fear.  You'll  get  the  chance  easy 
enough.  When  you  return  I  should  like  to 
have  you  tell  me  how  things  look  on  our  side, 
and  what  the  Yankees  are  doing  at  the  Inlet." 

"You  mustn't    be   surprised  if    I  don't," 

answered  Jack,  "  for  I  may  slip  back  and  slip 
19 


290  MARCY,  TPIE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

out  again  without  taking  time  to  say  good-bye 
to  anybody.  When  I  fail  to  come  to  town 
with  Marcy,  you  may  know  that  I  am  in  the 
navy." 

When  the  boys  went  in  after  their  mail,  they 
found  a  silent  and  sulky-looking  company 
leaning  against  the  counters.  They  said  not  a 
word  to  the  new-comers  or  to  one  another,  but 
simx)ly  stared  at  the  floor,  apj)arently  absorbed 
with  gloomy  reflections.  Jack  and  his  brother 
were  glad  to  find  them  so,  for  it  gave  them  an 
opportunity  to  secure  their  mail  without  delay 
and  get  away  by  themselves,  Avhere  they  could 
exult  to  their  hearts'  content  over  the  victory 
at  Hatteras. 

' '  What  is  this  new  notion  you  have  taken 
into  your  head  all  of  a  sudden  ? "  was  the  first 
question  Marcy  propounded.  "You  haven't 
any  idea  of  going  to  ISTewbern." 

"Yes,  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan," 
said  Jack.  "I  want  to  know  just  where  the 
Union  fleet  is,  and  what  it  is  doing,  and  I  can't 
depend  upon  these  lying  rebel  papers  to  tell 
me.  So  the  only  thing  I  can  do  is  to  find  out 
for  mj^self ;  for  of  course  I  don't  want  to  run 


CONFLICTING   EEPOETS.  291 

outside  in  the  Fairy  Belle  unless  I  know  of  a 
certainty  that  there  is  a  gunboat  there  to  re- 
ceive me.  If  Beardsley's  schooner  is  in  port 
I'll  take  a  look  at  her,  and  then  I  can  tell 
whether  or  not  she  is  the  one  that  chased  the 
Sabine.''^ 

"She's  the  one,"  rejDlied  Marcy.  "But 
you'll  not  know  her.     She  is  disguised." 

Jack  said  he  didn't  care  if  she  had  been 
X)ainted  a  dozen  different  colors  since  he  saw 
her,  she  couldn't  fool  him.  He  would  look  at 
her  "general  make-up ;"  and  while  he  ^vas 
describing  some  peculiarities  in  the  Hattie'  s 
rigging  that  Marcy  had  not  noticed  himself, 
they  rode  through  the  gate  into  the  yard. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

UNION   OR  CONFEDERATE — WHICH  ? 

FOR  the  first  time  since  sailor  Jack  came 
home  he  was  the  bearer  of  good  news,  and 
you  may  be  sure  that  his  mother  was  glad  to 
listen  to  it.  He  declared  that  he  took  no  stock 
whatever  in  the  thousand  and  one  conflicting 
reports  that  had  come  to  him  through  the  pa- 
pers, and  so  suspicious  had  he  become  that  the 
only  thing  that  led  him  to  believe  the  rebels 
had  been  worsted  in  the  fight  at  Hatteras,  was 
because  they  were  willing  to  confess  it  them- 
selves. Of  course  it  would  not  be  safe  for  him 
to  try  to  carry  out  his  resolve  to  enlist  in  the 
Union  navy  until  he  knew  just  how  the  land 
lay  ;  and  the  only  'way  in  which  he  could  find 
out  would  be  to  go  to  Newbern  and  make 
personal  observations.  If  his  mother  did 
not  object  he  would  start  the  very  next 
morning    and  take    Marcy   wdth    him.      This 

292 


UNION   OR  CONFEDERATE — WHICH?        293 

proposition  startled  Mrs.  Gray,  for  slie  had 
looked  upon  another  se^Daration  from  Jack  as 
something  that  was  far  in  the  future,  and  would 
not  allow  herself  to  think  about  it  if  she  could 
help  it.  She  said  nothing  discouraging,  how- 
ever, and  Jack's  programme  was  duly  carried 
out. 

The  trip  to  Newbern  w^as  the  most  exciting 
and  altogether  disagreeable  one  that  Marcy  had 
ever  taken  on  the  cars.  The  train  was  crowded 
with  soldiers,  and  among  them  were  some  bois- 
terous and  inquisitive  ones  who  seemed  to 
think  it  their  duty  to  question  every  civilian 
who  came  on  board.  And  they  did  not  do  it 
in  the  most  gentlemanly  manner,  either.  Be- 
fore the  train  had  left  Boydtown  a  mile  behind, 
a  young  man,  dressed  in  a  neat,  clean  uniform 
that  had  never  seen  a  minute's  service  at  the 
front,  stopped  in  the  aisle  and  laid  his  hand 
heavily  on  Jack's  shoulder. 

"Look   here,  my   lad,"  said  he,  in  a  tone 
that  was   as  offensive  as    his    manner,   "you 
are  strong  and  able-bodied,  are  you  not?" 
You'll  think  so  if  you  don't  take   your 


U  ^7", 


294  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCK ADE-EUNNER. 


liand  off  my  collar  mighty  sudden,"  replied 
Jack,  jumping  from  his  seat. 

^' Hallo!"  exclaimed  the  young  man,  start- 
ing back  in  some  alarm  when  he  saw  the 
sailor's  broad  shoulders  rising  to  a  level  with 
his  own.  "  I  wouldn't  throw  on  any  airs,"  he 
added,  glancing  around  at  his  uniformed  com- 
panions, who  straightway  became  interested  in 
the  proceedings. 

"I  won't,  and  I  don't  mean  to  let  you  do  so, 
either — not  with  me,"  replied  Jack.  "You 
seem  to  feel  very  important  because  you 
happen  to  have  some  good  clothes  on,  but 
you  haven't  been  under  fire  yet." 

"Neither  have  you,"  answered  the  Confed- 
erate. 

"That's  all  you  know  about  it.  Now  go 
off  and  let  me  alone,  or  I'll  pitch  you  through 
the  window." 

The  young  man  fell  back  to  call  up  re-enforce- 
ments, and  Jack  took  his  seat  again. 

"It's  all  right,"  said  he,  when  he  noticed 
the  troubled  expression  on  his  brother's  face. 
"Because  he  wears  a  uniform  himself,  he  thinks 
he  had  a  right  to  know  why  I  haven't  one  also  ; 


UNION   OR   CONFEDERATE — WHICH?       295 

but  it  is  none  of  his  business.  Besides,  it  is 
nothing  more  than  you  did  to  Allison  in  the 
post-ofSce  at  Nashville." 

"But  I  was  among  friends  when  I  backed 
Allison  down,  and  these  men  are  all  strangers 
to  us,"  replied  Marcy. 

"No  matter  for  that.  I  judge  by  their  looks 
that  they  are  mostly  Americans,  and  if  they 
are  they  will  see  fair  play.  There  will  be  a 
white  man  along  to  question  ns  presently." 

And  sure  enough  there  was.  The  defeated 
rebel  drew  back  a  little  way  to  hold  a  council 
of  war  with  some  of  his  friends,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  one  of  these  friends,  whose  uniform 
was  by  no  means  as  clean  and  neat  as  the 
others',  arose  from  his  seat  and  came  down  the 
aisle. 

"Beg  pardon,  sir,"  said  he  respectfully. 
"I  wish  to  offer  a  word  of  excuse  for  my  im- 
pulsive young  companion's  conduct.  He  is  a 
warm  patriot " 

"  So  I  see,"  said  Jack,  with  a  smile.  "A 
good  many  get  that  way  the  minute  they  put 
on  a  gray  suit ;  but  my  brother  and  I,  who 
have  already  risked  our  lives  and  liberty,  do 


296  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNEE. 


not  feel  called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  our- 
selves to  every  raw  recruit  who  may  demand  it. 
If  he  had  asked  me  a  civil  question  I  would 
have  given  him  a  civil  answer." 

"Of  course;  certainly.  But  I  know  you 
will  overlook  it  this  time.  But  are  you  two 
really  in  the  service  ? " 

"My  brother  has  been  on  a  privateer  and 
now  he  belongs  to  a  blockade-runner,"  an- 
swered Jack.  "You  see  he's  got  a  bad  arm, 
don't  you  ?    The  Yankees  gave  him  that." 

"  Well,  well !  "  exclaimed  the  man,  who  did 
not  know  what  else  to  say.  "He  ought  to 
have  a  uniform  on." 

His  crew  don't  have  any,"   replied  Jack. 

And  if  you  want  to  know  what  I  have  done 
— by  the  way,  are  you  going  to  Newbern  1 " 

The  soldier  said  he  was. 

"  Well,  when  you  get  there  go  to  Parker  & 
Wall's  and  ask  them  whether  or  not  the  suj)- 
plies  the  Wesi  Wind  brought  down  from 
Boston  are  going  to  be  of  any  use  to  the  Con- 
federacy. I  was  second  mate  and  pilot  of  that 
craft,  and  might  have  been  on  board  of  her  yet 
if  I  had  been  inclined  to  stay  ;  but  if  there  is 


(( 
(( 


UI^ION   OR   CONFEDERATE — WHICH?       297 

going  to  be  a  war  I  want  a  hand  in  it.  I  am 
going  to  Newbern  to  see  if  there  is  any  chance 
for  me  to  get  into  the  navy." 

Of  course,  after  such  a  talk  as  this  it  was 
impossible  for  the  brothers  to  keep  to  them- 
selves as  they  would  like  to  have  done.  The 
inquisitive  rebel  apologized  to  Jack  and  intro- 
duced his  friends  ;  and  from  that  time  forward 
there  was  a  crowd  of  soldiers  hanging  about 
his  seat  all  the  while.  Some  of  them  had  seen 
service  and  some  hadn't ;  and  the  latter  Avere 
particularly  anxious  to  know  how  Marcy  felt 
when  that  shrapnel  came  over  the  Hattle^  s 
bow  and  knocked  him  and  Cai^tain  Beardsley 
down,  and  whether  or  not  he  was  frightened 
and  afraid  he  was  going  to  be  killed. 

"The  whole  thing  was  done  so  quickly,  and 
I  was  so  excited,  that  I  didn't  have  time  to  ask 
myself  whether  I  was  frightened  or  not,"  was 
Marcy' s  invariable  reply;  and  it  seemed  to 
satisfy  his  questioners. 

To  Jack  Gray's  disappointment  there  was 
not  a  soldier  in  the  car  who  could  tell  him  any- 
thing definite  regarding  the  situation  at  Hat- 
teras  Inlet ;  but  some  of  them  interested  them- 


298  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

selves  in  the  matter,  and  finally  discovered  a 
citizen  who  knew  all  about  it,  but  who,  upon 
being  questioned,  proved  to  be  almost  as  ignor- 
ant as  the  rest.  The  few  things  he  did  know, 
however,  were  very  encouraging  to  Jack.  The 
captured  forts  had  not  been  destroyed,  he  said, 
and  that  seemed  to  indicate  that  the  Yankees 
intended  to  place  garrisons  there.  The  vessels 
of  the  attacking  fleet  had  not  been  sunk  or 
scattered,  and  neither  was  there  a  sailor  killed 
during  the  whole  of  the  fight.  The  war  vessels 
were  still  hanging  around  the  Inlet,  ready  to 
go  up  or  down  the  Sound,  according  to  the 
orders  they  might  receive  from  Washington, 
and  the  rebel  garrison  at  Fort  Ocracoke,  wdiich 
was  located  on  the  seaward  face  of  Beacon  Is- 
land a  few  miles  below^,  as  well  as  the  troops 
who  occupied  the  camp  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  island,  were  trembling  in  their  boots,  and 
holding  themselves  ready  to  run  at  a  moment's 
notice.  He  didn't  know  the  first  thing  about 
naval  matters,  he  said  in  conclusion.  There 
might  be  a  gunboat  or  two  building  in  the 
river  above  Newbern,  but  he  didn't  think  there 
was,  and  the  only  thing  left  for  Jack  was  to 


UNIOI^   OR  CONFEDERATE — WHICH?        299 

ship  on  some  blockade-runner.  They  still  had 
the  free  use  of  Ocracoke  and  Oregon  Inlets. 

^'I  thank  you  for  the  information  you  have 
given  me,"  said  Jack.  "  I  declare  it  is  refresh- 
ing to  find  a  man  who  can  tell  the  truth.  The 
falsehoods  I  have  read  and  listened  to  during 
the  last  few  days  are  enough  to  disgust  any- 
body. The  possession  of  Hatteras  Inlet  is 
important  to  the  Federal  government,  and 
you'll  find  it  out." 

*'  We  have  found  it  out  already,"  answered 
the  citizen.  "The  Yankee  ships  are  hauling 
in  the  i)rizes  as  fishermen  haul  in  their  catch 
with  a  drag  net.  You  see,  the  blockade-run- 
ners that  are  bound  in  don't  know  that  the  In- 
let has  been  captured,  and  neither  do  they  find 
it  out  until  they  run  slap  into  the  arms  of  the 
cruisers,  who  are  always  on  the  watch  for 
them.  They  had  hardly  ceased  firing  upon 
the  forts  before  they  captured  five  schooners." 

"  All  in  one  day  ? "  exclaimed  Marcy. 

"  All  in  one  day,"  repeated  the  citizen. 

"Good  enough,"  said  Marcy,  to  himself. 
"I  hope  the  Hattie  was  one  of  them."  Then 
aloud  he  said  :     "  Do  you  know  the  names  of 


300  MAPwCr,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNEK. 

those  schooners  ?  The  reason  I  ask  is  because 
my  captain  has  had  plenty  of  time  to  load  up, 
run  down  to  Nassau,  and  get  back  again.  His 
name  is  Beardsley,  and  he  commands  the  Hat- 
tier 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  heard  about  him,  and  when  he 
gets  back  you  will  see  an  account  of  his  dar- 
ing exploit  in  the  papers.  That  man  has 
pluck,  I  tell  you." 

''What  did  he  do,  and  why  will  the  papers 
wait  until  he  returns  before  saying  anything 
about  it  r'  inquired  Marcy. 

"  He  had  taken  his  cargo  of  cotton  on  board, 
and  was  all  ready  to  sail  when  word  was  re- 
ceived that  the  Yankee  ships  had  appeared  off 
Hatteras,"  answered  the  citizen.  "No  one 
supposed  that  he  would  think  of  going  out, 
but  he  did ;  and  the  first  thing  we  heard  of 
him  was  that  he  had  got  safely  off." 

"He  didn't  run  out  of  Hatteras,  of  course?" 

"  Certainly  not.  He  stole  a  march  on  the 
Yankees  and  went  down  to  Ocracoke." 

"Then  I  can't  see  what  he  did  that  was  so 
daring,"  said  Marcy,  <o  himself.  "  The  great- 
est coward  in  the  world,  if  he  can  handle  a 


UNION   OR   CONFEDERATE — WHICH?        301 

vessel  at  all,  ought  to  be  able  to  run  her  out  of 
a  wide  inlet  when  there  is  nothing  to  oppose 
him." 

''  And  the  reason  our  papers  didn't  speak  of 
it  is  because  we  don't  want  the  Yankees  to  be 
on  the  watch  for  him  when  he  comes  back," 
continued  the  citizen.  ^'We  can  tell  by  the 
way  they  have  acted  since  they  captured  the 
forts,  that  they  know  what  is  going  on  in  the 
city  as  well  as  we  do.  They  must  get  the  pa- 
pers regularly ;  and  if  we  ever  find  out  who  is 
to  blame  for  it,  I  wouldn't  give  much  for  his 
neck." 

''Now  that's  what  /call  pluck,"  thought 
Marcy.  ''Captain  Beardsley  didn't  show  a 
particle  when  he  ran  out  to  sea  under  the  guns 
of  Fort  Ocracoke,  for  there  was  nothing  for 
him  to  be  afraid  of,  all  the  blockaders,  if  there 
were  any,  having  gone  to  Hatteras  to  help  the 
fleet.  But  when  a  Union  man,  in  such  a  nest 
of  rebels  as  Newbern  is,  risks  his  life  by  send- 
ing information  to  the  defenders  of  the  old 
flag,  he's  got  nerve.  But  I  am  sorrj^  to  hear 
that  about  Beardsley.  He'll  keep  on  running 
the  blockade  until  he  is  captured,  and  what  if 


302  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

I  sliould  cliance  to   be    aboard  the  schooner 
when  that  happens  ? " 

Having  given  them  all  the  information  he 
could,  the  citizen  went  back  to  his  own  seat, 
and  the  boys  were  at  last  left  to  themselves. 
They  hadn't  learned  much,  and  they  did  not 
learn  any  more  when  they  reached  IS'ewbern. 
The  fortifications  below  the  city  were  being 
rapidly  pushed  to  completion  (negroes  and 
poor  whites  did  the  work,  the  officers  finding 
life  in  town  much  more  to  their  liking  than 
digging  in  the  trenches),  and  there  had  been 
some  talk  of  building  gunboats  to  assist  in  the 
defence  of  the  place  ;  but  so  far  nothing  had 
been  done  about  it.  But,  after  all,  there  was 
no  need  of  gunboats,  for  the  thirty-one  pieces 
of  heavy  artillery  that  had  been  planted  on 
the  works  below,  would  send  the  Yankee  fleet 
to  the  bottom  in  short  order,  should  its  com- 
manding officer  be  so  foolhardy  as  to  bring  it 
into  the  Neuse  E-iver.  There  was  nothing  to 
keep  the  boys  in  the  city,  for  the  West  Wind, 
which  Marcy  wanted  much  to  see,  had  already 
sailed  for  Nassau  with  a  cargo  of  cotton  ;  and 
after  spending  two  days  in  making  inquiries 


UNION   OK   CONFEDERATE — WHICH?        303 

that  did  not  bring  them  the  information  they 
desired,  they  took  the  cars  for  home.  Old 
Morris,  whom  they  found  waiting  for  them  at 
Boydtown  depot,  was  both  surprised  and  disap- 
pointed because  they  did  not  ride  on  the  box 
with  him,  as  they  usually  did  ;  but  as  the  boys 
wanted  to  be  alone,  they  went  inside. 

"You  haven't  done  much  talking  since  we 
started,"  said  Marcy,  when  Morris  cracked  his 
whip  and  drove  away  from  the  depot. 
"What's  the  matter?" 

"I  have  been  laying  my  plans,"  replied 
Jack.  "But  with  all  my  thinking  I  haven't 
been  able  to  decide  upon  anything  further  than 
this  :  As  soon  as  it  comes  dark,  we'll  begin  and 
load  the  Fairy  Belle  with  provisions  and  such 
other  things  as  we  may  be  likely  to  stand  in 
need  of,  and  to-morrow  morning  we'll  slip 
down  and  out." 

"To-morrow  night,  you  mean,"  suggested 
Marcy. 

"No,  to-morrow  morning;  just  as  soon  as 
we  have  had  breakfast.  I  am  impatient  to  be 
off ;  and  besides  I  really  cannot  afford  to  waste 
any  more  time.     We  must  go  at  once  or  run 


304  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

the  risk  of  missing  the  Federal  fleet.     It  may 
be  ordered  somewhere  else." 

''  But  every  one  along  the  river  will  see  us," 
protested  Marcy. 

*'  Who  cares  if  they  do  ?  In  fact  I  should 
care  if  they  did  not  see  us.  We'll  hoist  my 
Confederate  flag  at  the  peak  as " 

''  Why,  Jack.     And  sail  under  a  lie  ?  " 

*' Now  just  listen  at  you^^''  exclaimed  Jack, 
shaking  his  finger  at  his  brother.  '^Captain 
Semmes  didn't  sail  under  a  lie,  I  suppose, 
when  he  rdli  up  the  English  colors  to  quiet  the 
fears  of  the  Herndon^  s  commander,  and  neither 
did  you  when  you  hoisted  the  same  flag  to  coax 
my  vessel  within  reach  of  your  guns." 

"Do  you  imagine  that  I  would  have  done 
such  a  thing  if  I  had  been  in  a  position  to  re- 
fuse \  "  retorted  Marcy,  with  some  spirit.  "  I 
couldn't  helx)  myself." 

"  I  know  it ;  and  can't  you  see  that  hoisting 
the  rebel  rag  will  help  both  of  us  ?  I  can,  and 
I  only  wish  Nashville  was  situated  on  the  river 
so  that  Allison  and  Shelby  and  the  rest  of 
those  blatant  traitors  could  see  us  as  w^e  go  by. 
It  will  save  you  from  a  heap  of  questioning, 


UNION    OR   CONFEDERATE — WHICH?       305 

and  may  be  the  means  of  keeping  a  roof  over 
mother's  head." 

"But  what  will  the  Union  men  in  the  settle- 
ment think  and  do  about  it  ?  " 

"  IN'ot  the  first  thing.  There  are  but  few  of 
them,  and  they  dare  not  say  their  souls  are 
their  own.  They  know  they  are  watched  as 
well  as  mother  knows  that  she  is  watched,  and 
there  isn'  t  one  among  them  who  dares  lift  his 
hand  or  say  a  word.  For  their  own  sakes,  I 
hope  they  will  not  do  anything  t^^  you  and 
mother  because  they  think  we  are  rebels,  for  if 
they  do,  their  houses  will  go  up  in  smoke." 

"But,  Jack,"  persisted  Marcy,  "I  wouldn't 
dare  go  alongside  a  Union  gunboat  with  that 
flag  on  board  my  schooner." 

"  When  the  time  comes,  we  will  pull  it  down 
and  hoist  one  of  your  Union  flags  in  its  place," 
was  the  answer. 

"  But  suppose  we  should  be  seen  by  some 
one  on  shore  who  happened  to  have  a  strong 
spy-glass  in  his  hand?  Wouldn't  I  find  my- 
self in  a  fix  when  I  got  back  ?  " 

"It  is  no  part  of  my  programme  to  hug  the 
shores  so  closely  that  our  flag  can  be  seen 

20 


306  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

and  recognized,"  replied  Jack.  "You  are  not 
going  to  get  yourself  into  trouble  by  taking 
me  down  to  the  fleet.  If  I  thought  you  were, 
T  would  not  ask  you  to  go  ;  but  that  money  in 
the  cellar  may  be  the  means  of  turning  you  out 
of  doors." 

When  the  boys  reached  home,  their  mother 
saw  at  a  glance  that  something  had  been  de- 
cided upon,  but  she  asked  no  questions  until 
they  were  all  seated  at  the  supper  table,  and 
then  they  told  her  as  much  of  their  plans  as 
they  were  willing  Hanson  should  know,  and 
no  more. 

"  There  isn't  the  sign  of  a  navy  in  or  about 
Newbern,"  said  Jack,  talking  for  the  benefit 
of  the  girl  who  waited  at  table  as  well  as  for 
the  information  of  any  other  eavesdropper 
who  might  chance  to  be  hanging  around. 
"  But  there  must  be  some  vessels  fitting  out  at 
Edenton  or  somewhere  else  in  these  waters, 
and  we  intend  to  find  out  before  we  come 
back.  We  shall  set  out  to  morrow  as  soon  as 
we  have  had  breakfast,  and  in  order  to  do 
that  we  must  provision  the  Fairy  Belle  before 
we  go  to  bed." 


m 


UNION  OR  CONFEDERATE — WHICH  ?   307 

Of  course  the  news  of  tlieir  intended  move- 
ments got  noised  among  the  servants,  as  the 
boys  were  sure  it  would,  and  when  they  were 
ready  to  set  to  work,  there  were  any  number 
of  volunteers  at  hand  to  assist  them,  the  boy 
Julius,  who  took  it  for  granted  that  he  was  to 
be  one  of  the  crew,  being  particularly  active 
and  "  bossy."  He  and  another  small  darkey 
were  sent  off  in  a  skiff  to  cast  the  schooner 
loose  from  her  moorings  and  tow  her  to  the 
shore,  and  the  minute  that  duty  had  been  per- 
formed he  jumx^ed  out,  seized  a  bundle  which 
he  had  left  on  the  bank,  and  was  climbing 
back  over  the  side  with  the  agility  of  a 
monkey  when  Jack  called  to  him  : 

"Avast,  there.  What  are  you  about?" 
cried  the  sailor. 

"  Going  to  stow  dis  yere  dunnage  of  mine  in 
de  fo'castle,"  replied  Julius,  without  stopping. 

"Well,  come  back.  You  can't  go  this 
trip." 

"  Ain't  I  going  to  sea  with  Marse  Marcy  ?  " 
said  Julius,  who  was  almost  ready  to  cry. 

"JN'ot  this  trip,  I  tell  you.  You  are  an 
Abolitionist,  and  we  can't  trust  you.      If  I 


•e^;* 


308  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

should  get  a  chance  to  go  into  the  navy  I  shall 
not  want  you  around,  for  you  would  come 
back  and  blab  it  all  over  the  neighborhood. 
Somebody  must  stay  home  and  take  care  of 
mother.  Come  ashore  and  lend  a  hand  with 
this  grub." 

"I  jes'  ain't  going  to  do  no  such  nigger's 
work  as  dat,"  replied  Julius  spitefully.  "If 
I  can't  run  on  de  schooner,  I  shan't  help  load 
her.  I  tell  you  dat  for  a  fac'.  I  jes'  hope 
she'll  go  to  de  bottom  'fore  she  sees  Seven 
Mile  creek  agin." 

The  darkey  emphasized  his  words  by  throw- 
ing his  bundle  as  far  as  he  could  send  it,  and 
by  flinging  himself  over  the  side  as  if  he  had 
been  a  bag  of  cotton.  The  moment  his  feet 
touched  the  ground  he  snatched  up  his 
property  again  and  disappeared  in  the  dark- 
ness. 

''Sorry  he  went  off  mad,"  said  Jack,  "but 
it  can't  be  helped.  In  times  like  these  the 
only  persons  w^e  can  trust  are  those  who  can 
keep  still  tongues  in  their  heads,  and  that  is 
something  Julius  was  never  known  to  do. 
Now,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  half  a  dozen 


UNION   OR   CONFEDEKATE — WHICH  ?       809 

blacks  who  remained,  "  if  there  are  any  among 
you  who  don' t  want  to  aid  in  loading  a  vessel 
that  is  going  to  hoist  the  Confederate  colors 
to-morrow,  you  can  go  also." 

"But,  Marse  Jack,"  exclaimed  Morris,  who 
had  been  waiting  for  an  opportunity  like  this, 
"  you  ain't  no  rebel." 

"  Of  course  I  am  not.     Who  said  I  was  ?  " 

"But  I  mean,  you  don't  go  in  for  the  'Fed- 
eracy ;  kase  if  you  did  go  in  for  the  'Federacy, 
the  Missus  wouldn't  luff  you  in  the  house.  I 
don't  see  what  you  want  with  that  rebel  flag 
in  the  sitting-room,  nohow.     I  just  believe — " 

"I  don't  care  what  you  believe,"  inter- 
rupted Jack,  who  was  afraid  that  the  coach- 
man was  about  to  give  utterance  to  some 
suspicions  that  would  come  too  near  the  truth. 
"Are  you  for  the  Union  1 " 

"  Course  I  is,  Marse  Jack.     And  so  be  you." 

"  Are  all  the  rest  of  you  black  ones  for  the 
Union,  too  ?" 

"Yes,  sar,  we  is,"  was  the  unanimous 
response. 

"Very  well.  I  don't  try  to  control  your 
opinions  ;  but  if  you  are  going  to  take  sides 


'310  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


? 


with  those  who  are  coming  down  here  to  rob 
us  of  our  property,  you  may  trot  right  baclv  to 
the  quarter  and  leave  us  to  do  our  own  work. 
Off  you  go,  now." 

The  astonished  negroes  urged  and  pleaded  to 
no  purpose.  Jack,  who  thought  he  knew  just 
what  he  was  doing,  would  not  listen  to  them, 
and  finally  they  turned  slowly  and  sorrowfully 
away,  leaving  Bose  to  act  as  sentry  and  body- 
guard. 

** If  everybody  on  the  i)lace  doesn't  hear  of 
this  in  less  than  half  an  hour  and  set  you  down 
for  a  rebel,  it  will  not  be  your  fault,"  said 
Marcy,  when  the  negroes  were  out  of  ear-shot. 

''I  don't  care  what  they  set  me  down  for,  so 
long  as  they  let  you  and  mother  alone  while  I  am 
gone,"  replied  Jack.  "I  have  been  here  long 
enough  to  find  out  what  is  the  matter  with  our 
neighbors.  They  are  mad  because  we  will  not 
declare  ourselves." 

''And  you  think  the  safest  plan  is  to  make 
them  believe,  if  you  can,  that  we  are  Confeder- 
ates," added  Marcy.  But  don't  you  know 
that  this  game  of  deception  can't  last  for- 
ever ?    Now  that  the  Yankees  have  got  a  foot- 


UNION   OR  CONFEDERATE — WHICH?        311 

hold  on  tlie  coast,  what  is  there  to  hinder  them 
from  spreading  all  over  the  country  ?  SupiDose 
they  should  come  here,  and  some  Union  man 
should  tell  them  that  we  hoisted  the  first  rebel 
flag  that  was  seen  in  the  settlement — then 
what?" 

*'  Then  will  be  the  time  for  you  to  show  how 
smart  you  are,  for  I  shall  not  be  here  to  help 
you.  Now,  Bose,"  he  added,  speaking  as 
though  the  animal  could  understand  every 
word  he  said,  "  you  stay  here  and  keep  watch  ; 
and  if  you  hear  anybody  sneaking  uj)  on  us, 
take  after  him  and  hold  him  at  bay  till  we 
come." 

So  saying  he  picked  up  the  nearest  basket 
and  hoisted  it  over  the  schooner's  side. 

The  Fairy  Belle^  having  been  built  under 
sailor  Jack's  x>ei'sonal  supervision,  was  es^De- 
cially  adapted  for  the  service  for  which  she  was 
intended,  that  of  single-handed  cruiser.  Al- 
though she  was  provided  with  top-masts,  she 
had  no  sails  for  them,  and  all  the  sheets 
and  halliards  were  made  to  lead  aft,  so  that 
they  were  under  complete  control  of  the  boy  at 
the  helm,  who  could  put  his  hand  upon  anj^  of 


312  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

them    without    moving    from     the    cock-j^it. 
Beginning  forward,  there  was  the  chain  locker, 
Tvhich    contained    all    the    extra  cordage  the 
schooner  was  likely  to  need  during  a  cruise, 
and  also  served  as  a  place  of  storage  for  the 
ground  tackle  Avhen  not  in  use.     Abaft  of  that 
was  a  forecastle,  with  bunks  for  two  hands, 
and  then  came  a  small  but  convenient  galley, 
with  cupboards  and    dishes  in    plenty,   from 
which  a  door  gave  entrance  into  a  neatly  fur- 
nished cabin.     It  w^as  all  there,  too,  no  space 
being  taken  up  with  state-rooms.     An  uphol- 
stered locker,  running  the  full  length  of  each 
side  of  the  cabin,  not  only  served  as  recepta- 
cles for  hunting  and  fishing  outfits,  canned 
provisions,  flags,  and  clothing,  but  could  easily 
be  made  into  beds  that  would  accommodate 
four  boys.     Nothing  had  been  omitted  that 
could  in  any  way  add  to  the  comfort  of  her 
master  and  crew,  and  her  speed,  under  the  four 
sails  she  usually  carried,  was  all  that  could  be 
desired.     She  had  sailed  over    nearly    every 
mile  of  Albemarle  and  Pamlico  Sounds,  and 
been  fifty  miles  outside  the  sand  dunes ;  but 
that  was  before  Yankee  gunboats  with  their 


UNIO>r   OR  CONFEDERATE— WHICH  ?       313 

sharp-eyed  lookouts  were  known  upon  the 
coast.  When  Marcy  made  those  trix)s  he  had 
but  one  flag — one  that  was  known  and  re- 
spected the  world  over  ;  but  when  he  went  out- 
side this  time  he  would  have  two,  either  of 
which  might  be  the  means  of  sending  him  and 
his  brother  to  prison. 

It  did  not  take  the  boys  more  than  ten  min- 
utes to  X3ut  their  supplies  aboard  the  schooner, 
and  while  they  were  about  it  they  talked  in 
their  ordinary  tones,  so  that  their  words  could 
have  been  heard  and  understood  by  any  one  who 
thought  it  worth  while  to  come  to  the  top  of 
the  bank  and  listen  to  them ;  but  they  were 
careful  to  weigh  the  Avords  before  they  uttered 
them,  and  the  sequel  proved  that  the  precau- 
tion was  not  a  needless  one.  After  everything 
had  been  stowed  in  its  proper  place  and  the 
hatches  were  fastened  down.  Jack  said  : 

"Of  course  we  can't  leave  her  alone;  we 
must  have  some  one  to  watch  her.  So  if  you 
will  keep  an  eje  on  her,  I'  11  go  to  the  house 
and  send  Morris  and  Julius  down."  At  the 
same  time  he  pointed  to  Bose  ;  and  Marcy,  com- 
prehending his  meaning,  seized  the  dog  by  the 


314  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

neck  to  keep  liim  from  following  Jack,  who 
lumbered  up  the  bank,  making  any  amount  of 
noise,  and  singing  a  sailor  ditty  as  he  w^ent. 

Scarcely  had  the  words  of  the  song  died  away 
in  the  distance,  when  something  that  sounded 
suspiciously  like  the  breaking  of  twigs  came  to 
Marcy's  ears,  and  at  the  same  instant  the 
faithful  watch-dog  tore  himself  loose  from  his 
master's  detaining  grasp  and  bounded  up  the 
bank,  barking  fierce  and  loud  at  every  jump. 
This  must  have  been  what  Jack  w^as  thinking 
of  when  he  left  Bose  behind.  As  quickly  as 
he  could  Marcy  got  upon  his  feet  and  shouted 
w^ords  of  encouragement  to  his  four-footed 
friend. 

*'Pull  him  down,"  he  yelled.  "Pull  the 
spy  down  and  let  me  see  who  he  is." 

The  dog  heard  the  command  and  probably 
tried  to  obey  it,  for  his  bark  changed  to  an 
angry  snarl,  and  a  second  later  a  familiar  but 
frightened  voice  cried  out : 

"  Call  him  off,  Mister  Marcy  !  Call  him  off  ! 
He'll  eat  me  up  if  you  don't." 

"It's  nothing  more  than  I  expected," 
thought  the  boy,  who  was  in  no  particular 


UNION   OR  CONFEDERATE — WHICH?       315 

hurry  to  give  ear  to  tlie  entreaty.  "Now  who 
is  it  that  carries  news  to  him  from  the  house  1 
That's  the  next  thing  to  be  found  out." 

"Is  that  you,  Hanson?"  he  exclaimed,  as 
if  he  were  mucli  surprised.  "Come  away, 
Bose.  What  brought  you  down  here,  and  Avhy 
did  you  come  in  that  sneaking  way  ?  Jack 
will  be  mad  enough  to  knock  you  down,"  he 
added,  when  he  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
overseer. 

"Why  Mr.  Marcy,  I  had  no  thought  of 
playing  the  part  of  a  sneak,"  protested  the 
man.  "  I  couldn't  make  head  or  tail  of  what 
the  darkey  tried  to  tell  me,  but  I  knew  there 
was  something  going  on  in  the  creek,  and 
tliought  it  my  duty  to  come  down  and  take  a 
look  at  things.     I  didn't  know  you  was  here." 

"  You  are  Union,  are  you  not  ?  "  said  Marcy, 
who  knew  there  w^asn't  a  word  of  truth  in  the 
overseer's  story. 

"  Of  course  I  am,  and  so  are  you.  So  is  Mr. 
Jack." 

"  Well,  if  he  is,  what  is  that  Confederate 
flag  doing  in  the  house?  " 

"It's  put  there  a  purpose  to  fool  folks.     The 


316  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

niggers  don't  know  what  to  think  about  it,  but 
I  do  ;  and  I  think  it  was  a  good  idee  on  your 
part.  There's  jDlenty  of  folks  about  here  who 
would  be  glad  to  see  harm  come  to  you,  but  I'  m 
watching  'em." 

"  So  am  I ;  and  some  day,  when  they  least 
expect  it,  I  will  bring  some  of  them  up  with  a 
round  turn.  I  hear  Jack  coming,  and  you  had 
better  get  out  of  his  way.  He'd  just  as  soon 
pick  a  quarrel  with  you  as  not." 

But  the  overseer  did  not  want  Jack  to  pick 
a  quarrel  with  him,  so  he  took  Marcy  at  his 
word.  He  went  away  more  mystified  than 
ever.  Were  the  Grays  Union  or  Confederate  ? 
He  would  have  given  almost  anytliing  he  pos- 
sessed to  have  his  doubts  on  this  x)oint  cleared 
up,  and  the  men  for  whom  he  was  working  in 
secret  would  have  done  the  same  thing. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

JULIUS   IN  TROUBLE. 

BY  the  time  the  overseer  was  out  of  hear- 
ing sailor  Jack  came  up,  followed  by  two 
negroes,  who  carried  blankets  on  their  arms. 
They  were  the  ones  who  had  been  selected  to 
watch  the  schooner  during  the  night,  and  the 
first  words  they  uttered  in  Marcy's  hearing 
seemed  to  indicate  that  they  were  not  very 
well  i3leased  with  the  duty  that  had  been 
imposed  upon  them.  Having  learned  from 
their  companions  that  the  Stars  and  Bars 
were  to  be  hoisted  at  her  peak  on  the  following 
morning,  they  did  not  want  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  her. 

"  I  couldn't  find  Julius,  but  I  heard  of  him," 
said  Jack.  ' '  He  is  mad  clear  through,  and 
hopes  some  Union  man  will  walk  off  with  the 
Fairy  Belle  as  soon  as  we  rebels  turn  our  backs 
upon  her.  I  never  knew  him  to  talk  as  spite- 
fully as  I  heard  he  did  when  he  took  his  ban- 

317 


318  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

die  back  to  tlie  quarter.  Now,  boys,  tow  her 
out  to  lier  moorings  and  look  out  for  her  till 
we  come  again.     Good-night." 

''  But,  Marse  Jack,  Ise  mighty  jubus  about 
dis  business  ;  I  is  for  a  fac'.  SjDosen  some  of 
de  Union  men  in  de  settlement " 

''  Well,  if  any  Union  folks  come  here  before 
morning,  it  will  be  because  some  of  you  black 
ones  have  posted  them,"  interrupted  Jack. 
"  The  people  in  this  settlement  know  our  busi- 
ness as  well  as  we  know  it  ourselves,  or  think 
they  do,  and  some  of  you  boys  are  to  blame  for 
it." 

'^Now,  Marse  Jack "  began  the  negroes, 

with  one  voice. 

''  I  am  not  accusing  either  one  of  you,"  ex- 
claimed the  sailor.  "  But  if  the  shoe  fits  you, 
you  can  wear  it.  There's  one  among  you  who 
runs  to  a  certain  j)erson  with  everything  that  is 
done  in  and  about  the  house  that  he  can  get 
hold  of.  .1  know  who  he  is,"  Jack  added,  to 
Marcy's  great  amazement,  "  and  can  put  my 
hand  on  him  in  less  than  ten  minutes.  But  I'm 
not  going  to  do  it.  I  shall  let  somebody  else 
punish  him  ;  and  some  dark  night,  when  the 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  319 

ghosts  come  out  of  tlie  church-yard  and  walk 
around  the  quarter " 

"Oh,  Marse  Jack,''  cried  the  frightened 
blacks  throwing  down  their  blankets  and  mov- 
ing closer  to  the  boys  for  protection.  "Don't 
say  dem  unrespec'ful  words.  If  you  do,  yo' 
boat  sink  wid  you  to-morrer,  suah." 

"  Well,  you  know  it  to  be  a  fact,  don't  you  ? 
At  any  rate  I  have  often  heard  some  of  you  say 
that  white  things  do  walk  around  of  nights.  I 
know  it,  whether  you  do  or  not ;  and  some 
night,  w^hen  you  are  all  asleep  in  the  quarter, 
and  I  am  away  on  the  water  fighting  for  the 
flag  I  believe  in,  something,  I  don't  know 
just  how  it  will  look,  will  walk  into  a  certain 
cabin  down  there  and  take  a  man  out :  and  it 
will  be  a  long  time  before  you  will  hear  of  him 
again.  You'll  be  astonished  when  you  ^vake 
up  the  next  morning.  But  you  two  Avill  be  all 
right  if  you  keep  still  tpngues  in  your  head. 
If  you  don't,  I'll  not  answer  for  the  conse- 
quences." 

"But,  Marse  Jack "    began  one  of  the 


negroes. 


"I  can't  waste  any  more  time  with  you," 


320  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

said  tlie  sailor  impatiently.  '*  Haven't  I  told 
you  that  I  don' t  know  how  the  thing  will  look 
when  it  gets  ready  to  go  to  work?  I  don't 
even  know  when  it  is  coming  ;  Ijut  it  is  com- 
ing. You  may  depend  upon  that.  Now  take 
the  schooner  out  to  her  moorings  and  keep  an 
eye  on  her  till  morning." 

The  astonished  Marcy,  who  did  not  under- 
stand the  situation  any  better  than  the  fright- 
ened blacks  did,  fully  exj^ected  so  hear  them 
refuse  duty ;  but  Jack  had  so  worked  upon 
their  feelings  that  they  were  afraid  to  do  it. 
Out  of  x)ure  mischief  he  had  often  done  the 
same  thing  before,  by  telling  them  of  the 
w^onderf ul  adventures  he  had  met  at  sea.  He 
had  seen  lots  of  mermaids  riding  on  the  waves 
and  dressing  their  hair  with  the  combs  they 
had  taken  from  the  pockets  of  drowned  sail- 
ors ;  had  often  listened  to  the  entrancing 
music  of  sirens,  who,  seated  on  submerged 
rocks  in  mid-ocean,  had  played  their  harps  for 
all  they  were  worth  in  the  hope  of  drawing  his 
ship  to  destruction  ;  and  once  the  vessel  on 
which  he  was  sailing  had  a  two  weeks'  race 
before  it  could  get  away  from  the  whale  that 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  321 

swallowed  Jonah.  This  whale  got  hungry 
once  every  hundred  thousand  years ;  and 
whenever  that  hapjiened  he  sunk  the  first 
ship  he  came  to  and  made  a  meal  off  the  crew. 
Bat  Jack  himself  always  came  off  safe  by 
reason  of  the  powers  of  a  charm  which  he 
carried  in  his  ditty-bag.  This  wonderful 
charm  not  only  brought  him  good  luck  in 
everything  he  undertook,  but  enabled  him  to 
give  a  wide  berth  to  those  who  sought  to  do 
him  harm,  and  to  turn  the  tables  ux)on  them 
whenever  he  saw  fit  to  do  so.  Without  saying 
another  word  in  protest,  the  two  negroes 
stepped  into  the  skiff  and  made  ready  to  tow 
the  schooner  to  her  moorings,  Avhile  the  boys 
faced  about  and  started  for  the  house. 

"Jack,  what  in  the  name  of  sense  are  you 
up  to  now  ^  "  demanded  Marcy,  when  he  could 
speak  without  fear  of  being  overheard. 

By  way  of  reply  the  sailor  laughed  heartily 
but  silently,  and  poked  his  brother  in  the  ribs 
with  his  finger. 

"  I  know  you  have  made  the  darkeys  afraid 
of  you  by  telling  them  your  ridiculous  stories, 
and  I  am  ashamed  to  say  that  I  have  backed 

21 


322  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-PwUNNEK. 


5 


up  all  you  have  said  to  tliem,"  continued 
Marcy.  ^'But  I  don't  see  wliy  you  stuffed 
them  up  that  way  to-night.     It  wasn't  true,  of 


course." 


''All  sailors  are  strictly  truthful,"  replied 
Jack.  "But  seriously,  Marcy,  I  never  told  a 
straighter  story  than  I  told  those  blacks  a 
while  ago,  when  I  warned  them  that  some 
morning  they  would  find  a  man  missing. 

"Jack,"  said  Marcy,  suddenly,  "  Avhat  is  it 
that  has  been  taking  you  out  of  the  house  so 
much  of  nights  during  the  last  two  weeks  ? 
Mother  and  I  have  often  thought  we  would 
ask  you,  but  have  as  often  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  when  you  were  ready  to  let  us 
know,  you  would  tell  us." 

"And  a  very  wise  conclusion  it  was," 
answered  Jack.  "By  leaving  me  entirely 
alone,  you  have  thrown  no  obstacles  in  my 
way." 

"But  if  you  were  working  up  anything, 
why  didn't  you  take  me  into  your  confi- 
dence ?  "  said  Marcy  reproachfully. 

"Because  one  can  hide  his  movements 
better  than  two.     Besides,  I  did  not  see  my 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  323 

way  clearly,  and  I  didn't  want  to  raise  any 
false  hopes.  But  I  think  the  thing  is  cut  and 
dried  now,  and  as  sure  as  you  live,"  here  he 
sunk  his  voice  to  a  whisper,  "  there'll  be  the 
biggest  kind  of  a  rumpus  in  the  quarter  some 
morning  ;  and  if  mother  happens  to  be  awake, 
she  will  wonder  why  she  doesn't  hear  the 
horn." 

"  Why  won' t  she  hear  it  ?  " 

*'For  the  very  good  reason  that  there  will 
be  no  one  there  who  has  a  right  to  blow  it." 

"  Jack  !  "  Marcy  almost  gasped. 

"Well,  you  wait  and  see  if  I  don't  know 
what  I  am  talking  about,"  re]plied  the  sailor. 

"  Where  will  Hanson  be  on  that  x)articular 
morning  \ " 

"I  can't  tell.  I  only  know  that  he  will  be 
gone,  that  he  will  not  be  likely  to  trouble  you 
and  mother  any  more,  for  a  while  at  least,  and 
that  the  whole  thing  will  be  so  very  mysterious 
that  such  fellows  as  Shelby  and  Allison  will 
be  frightened  out  of  their  boots  ;  and,  Marcy," 
added  Jack,  speaking  in  a  still  lower  whisper, 
"you  needn't  go  back  to  the  Hattle  if  you 
don't  want  to." 


324  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

''Jack,  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  just  what 
you  mean,"  said  Marcy  imiDatiently. 

''All  right.  Give  me  a  chance  and  I  will. 
But,  in  the  first  place,  what  was  Bose  barking 
at  while  I  was  gone  1  He  acted  as  though  he 
was  getting  ready  to  bite  something  or  some- 
body.    Was  it  Hanson  ?" 

"That's  just  who  it  was,"  replied  Marcy. 

"And  did  Bose  hold  him  until  you  had  op- 
portunity to  speak 'to  him!"  continued  Jack. 
"All  right.  That  was  what  I  left  him  for.  I 
don't  care  now  what  Hanson  told  you,  for  I 
don't  suppose  there  was  a  word  of  truth  in  it ; 
but  what  did  you  think  when  you  spoke  to 
him?" 

"I  said  to  myself  that  one  eavesdropper 
had  been  brought  to  light,  and  that  the 
next  thing  would  be  to  find  out  who  it  is 
that  carries  news  to  him  from  the  house," 
replied  Marcy. 

"Exactly.  Well,  there's  no  one  that  carries 
news,  but  there  is  a  little  nig  who  used  to  take 
him  a  pack  of  lies  every  day,"  replied  Jack, 
"and  I  know  who  it  is.  That  was  what  I 
meant  when  I  told  those  two  darkeys  awhile 


"'  JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  825 

ago  that  I  could  put  my  hand  on  the  tale- 
bearer in  less  than  ten  minutes.  It's  Julius." 
"Jack,  you  are  certainly  dreaming,"  ex- 
claimed Marcy,  growing  more  and  more 
amazed. 

"If  you  should  try  to  take  my  measure  on 
the  ground  right  here,  you  might  find  that  I 
am  tolerably  wide  awake,"  replied  the  sailor, 
with  a  laugh.  "I  have  had  several  talks  with 
the  overseer,  all  unbeknown  to  you  and  mother, 
and  by  taking  it  for  granted  that  he  was  a  good 
rebel,  I  caught  him  off  his  guard  a  time  or  two 
(but  that  wasn't  a  hard  thing  to  do),  and 
learned,  to  my  surprise,  that  somebody  was 
keeping  him  very  well  m/^informed  regarding 
the  doings  in  the  house.  Of  course  that  ex- 
cited my  curiosity,  and  after  thinking  the  mat- 
ter over  I  took  Julius  by  the  neck  one  day 
when  I  happened  to  catch  him  alone,  and 
frightened  the  secret  out  of  him." 

And  this  was  the  secret,  which  Jack  told  in 
as  few  words  as  possible,  for  he  knew  that  his 
mother  was  anxiously  awaiting  his  return. 
Julius  was  one  of  the  few  servants  who  were 
allowed  the  freedom  of  the  house ;  but,  like 


326  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUJ^Js^ER. 

many  others  of  his  race,  he  was  somewhat 
given  to  laying  violent  hands  iii3on  things  that 
did  not  belong  to  him.  He  was  rarely  detected, 
and  when  he  was  he  generally  succeeded  in 
lying  out  of  it,  and  of  course  this  made  him 
bolder  ;  so  when  he  saw  Mrs.  Gray's  valuable 
breastpin  lying  exposed  on  her  dressing-table, 
he  slipped  it  into  his  pocket,  made  his  way 
from  the  house  without  being  seen,  and  went 
behind  one  of  the  cabins  to  admire  it.  But,  as 
bad  luck  would  have  it,  the  overseer,  who 
never  did  things  openly  and  above  board  as 
other  folks  do  them,  came  "snooping"  along 
the  lane  and  caught  him  in  the  act. 

"What's  that  you've  got  there?"  he  de- 
manded. 

"  Wha — what  thing,  Marse  Hanson  ?"  stam- 
mered Julius. 

"  That  thing  you're  putting  in  your  pocket," 
replied  the  overseer.  ^ '  Hand  it  out,  or  I'  11  wear 
this  rawhide  into  slivers  on  3^our  black  hide." 

"Look  a  yer,  Marse  Hanson,"  exclaimed 
Julius.  "My  missus  don't  'low  no  white 
trash  of  a  oberseer  to  whop  de  house  servants. 
I  tell  you  dat."     And  before  the  words  were 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  327 

fairly  out  of  liis  moutli  the  little  darkey  took 
to  his  heels  and  ran  like  a  deer. 

'^  All  right,''  shouted  Hanson.  "Eun  away 
if  you  want  to,  and  I  will  go  to  the  missus  and 
tell  her  that  you've  got  something  of  hers — 
some  of  her  gold  things.  You  won' t  lie  me 
down,  either,  like  you  done  the  last  time,  for 
I  seen  you  have  'em." 

This  dreadful  threat  reached  the  ears  of  the 
thief  and  stopped  his  flight.  He  turned  about 
and  faced  the  overseer. 

"And  then  do  j^ou  know  what  the  Missus 
will  say  to  me  ?  "  the  latter  went  on.  "  She'll 
say,  '  Mister  Hanson,  take  this  boy  to  the  field 
and  xDut  him  to  work.  He  ain't  fitten  to  stay 
about  the  house.'  And  when  I  get  you  into  the 
field,"  he  added,  shaking  his  riding- whip  at  the 
culprit,  'Svon't  I  see  that  you  handle  them 
hoes  lively  ?  I  reckon  not.  Come  here  and 
give  me  that,  I  tell  you." 

"You'll  lick  me  if  I  come  back,"  said 
Julius. 

"No,  I  won't  tech  hide  nor  hair  of  ye. 
Honor  bright." 

"And  won't  ye  tell  de  Missus,  nuther?" 


328  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNEE. 


J 


*'Well,  that  deiDends  on  whether  I  do  or 
not,"  rex)lied  Hanson  evasively.  "If  yon'll 
mind  every  word  I  say  to  you  and  jump  the 
minute  you  hear  the  word,  I  won' t  tell  her. 
Come  here,  now." 

Not  being  able  just  then  to  discover  any 
other  way  out  of  the  scrape,  Julius  trem- 
blingly obeyed.  AVhen  the  overseer  took  the 
stolen  pin  in  his  hands  his  eyes  seemed  ready 
to  start  from  their  sockets. 

"  Do  you  know  what  you've  went  and  done, 
you  thieving  nigger  ? "  he  said,  in  a  mysterious 
whisper.  "What  do  you  reckon  these  yer 
things  is  scattered  round  'mongst  this  gold?" 

"  Glass,  ain't  they  ?  "  faltered  Julius. 

"Glass,  you  fule  !  They're  diamonds. 
They  cost  more'n  a  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  that's  more'n  a  dozen  such  niggers  as  you 
is  worth,"  said  Hanson,  who  was  not  very  well 
versed  in  figures. 

•  This  incident  happened  at  the  beginning  of 
the  troubles  between  the  North  and  South,  and 
about  the  time  that  everybody  was  supposed 
to  be  "  taking  sides."  All  the  people  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  with  but  a  single  excep- 


JULIUS    IN    TEOUBLE.  329 

tion,  had  declared  for  secession  (whether  they 
were  sincere  or  not  remains  to  be  seen),  and 
that  single  exception  was  Mrs.  Gray,  who 
could  not  be  coaxed,  cajoled,  or  surprised  into 
saying  a  word  in  favor  of  one  side  or  the  other. 
Of  course  this  did  not  suit  the  red-hot  rebels 
in  the  vicinity,  and  as  they  could  not  find  out 
anything  themselves,  they  bribed  Hanson  to 
try  his  luck ;  but  he  was  at  fault,  too.  The 
trouble  with  him  was,  he  did  not  live  in  the 
great  house,  but  close  to  the  quarter,  which 
was  nearly  half  a  mile  away ;  he  had  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  the  house  servants ;  and 
he  was  pretty  certain  that  those  he  found 
opportunity  to  question,  did  not  always  take 
the  trouble  to  tell  him  the  truth.  He  must 
have  a  reliable  ally  in  the  house — some  one 
who  was  in  a  position  to  hear  and  see  every- 
thing that  was  said  and  done  by  the  inmates, 
who  must  not,  of  course,  be  given  reason  for 
believing  that  they  were  watched.  Until  this 
episode  of  the  breastpin  occurred,  Hanson  did 
not  know  how  he  was  going  to  get  such  an 
ally ;  but  he  thought  he  had  found  him 
now. 


380  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

'^  I'll  keep  these  yer  diamonds  till  I  find  out 
whether  or  not  you  are  going  to  do  Jest  like  I 
tell  you,"  said  the  overseer,  putting  the  jew- 
elry into  his  pocket. 

"  But,  Marse  Hanson,"  protested  the  darkey, 
"  it  ain't  right  for  you  to  keep  dat  thing." 

"Now  listen  at  you,"  said  the  overseer 
angrily.  "Wasn't  you  going  to  steal  it?  I 
ain't.  I'm  only  going  to  hold  fast  to  it  a  little 
while  to  see  if  you  are  going  to  do  like  I  tell 
you.  If  you  do,  the  Missus  will  get  her  pin 
back,  and  she  won' t  never  know  who  took  it ; 
but  if  you  don't,  I'll  have  you  .in  the  field 
where  I  can  find  you  every  time  I  retch  for 
you.  Now  listen.  I  reckon  you  know  that 
Mister  Marcy  is  coming  home  from  school  one 
of  those  days,  don't  you?  Well,  when  he 
comes,  I  want  you  to  find  out  if  he's  Union  or 
secesli.     What's  the  Missus  anyway?  " 

"She's  jes'  the  same  that  you  be,"  replied 
Julius. 

"Look  here,  nigger,"  said  the  overseer,  in 
savage  tones,  "that  won't  go  down.  You're 
Union,  ain't  you  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes  sar.     Ise  Union  if  you  is." 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  331 

Hanson  raised  his  wliip  and  Julius  dodged 
like  a  flash. 

"  'Tain't  what  I  want,  and  you  know  it  well 
enousch,"  the  man  shouted.  "I  want  to  know 
for  a  fact — for  a  fact,  mind  you — what  them 
folks  up  to  the  great  house  is  ;  which  side  they 
leans  to,  Union  or  Confederate.  And  if  you 
don't  come  down  to  my  house  this  very  night 
after  dark  with  some  news  of  some  kind,  I'll 
take  these  yer  diamonds  straight  to  the  Missus 
and  tell  her  where  I  got  'em.  You  know  what 
I  mean,  so  cl'ar  yourself." 

Glad  to  escape  the  whip  with  which  the 
overseer  constantly  threatened  him  while  he 
was  talking,  Julius  lost  no  time  in  making  his 
way  to  the  great  house  ;  but  he  did  not  go  near 
Mrs.  Gray  till  she  summoned  him  into  her 
presence  to  ask  him  if  he  had  been  in  her  room 
that  day.  Of  course  he  hadn't  been  upstairs 
at  all,  not  even  to  "tote  up  de  wash-watah, 
kase  dat  was  de  gals'  work  and  not  his'n." 

"  I  never  heard  that  mother  lost  a  breastpin," 
said  Marcy,  when  Jack  had  got  this  far  with 
his  narrative.  "Did  she  find  it  again?  Did 
Hanson  give  it  ui3  ?  " 


332  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

Instead  of  replying  in  words,  Jack  took  liold 
of  a  small  cord  that  encircled  his  neck,  and 
pulled  his  ditty-bag  from  beneath  the  bosom 
of  his  flannel  shirt.  This  he  opened  with  great 
deliberation,  taking  from  it  a  small  vial  and  a 
package  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  newspaper. 

''  What  have  those  things  to  do  with  mother's 
breastpin?"  demanded  Marcy.  "What's  in 
that  bottle?" 

''That  vial  contains  my  charm  ;  and  a  most 
potent  one  it  is,"  said  the  sailor  gravely. 

"If  you  don't  quit  your  nonsense  and  come 
to  the  point,  I  will  leave  you  and  go  into  the 
house,"  said  Marcy  angrily. 

"I'll  bet  you  won't.  This  thing  is  getting 
interesting  now,  and  it  will  not  be  long  before 
it  will  be  more  so,"  answered  Jack.  "Look  at 
that!" 

He  had  been  unwrapping  the  newspaper 
while  he  was  talking,  and  Marcy  was  struck 
dumb  with  astonishment  when  he  saw  him 
bring  the  lost  breastpin  to  light. 

"Jack,"  he  faltered,  "where  did  you  get 
it?" 

"The  charm  brought  it.     Hold  on,  now 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  333 

exclaimed  Jack,  when  his  brother  turned  away 
with  an  ejaculation  indicative  of  the  greatest 
annoyance  and  vexation.  "It  helped  bring  it, 
and  a  little  common  sense,  backed  by  an  in- 
sight into  darkey  nature,  did  the  rest.  JSTow, 
don' t  break  in  on  me  any  more.  Mother  will 
begin  to  wonder  what's  keeping  us." 

When  Julius  came  to  ponder  the  matter,  he 
found  that  he  was  in  the  worst  scrax)e  of  his 
life.  A  house  servant  considered  it  an  ever- 
lasting disgrace  to  be  sent  to  the  field,  and 
Julius  thought  he  would  about  as  soon  die  or 
take  to  the  swamps,  one  being  as  bad  as  the 
other  in  his  estimation.  But  there  was  one 
thing  that  could  be  said  in  his  favor :  He  was 
loyal  to  every  member  of  the  family  in  whose 
service  his  father  and  mother  had  grown  gray. 
Although  he  could  not  possibly  tell  the  truth, 
and  found  it  hard  to  keep  his  nimble  fingers 
off  other  people' s  property,  the  tortures  of  the 
whipping  post,  if  there  had  been  such  a  thing 
on  the  plantation,  could  not  have  wrung  from 
Julius  a  word  or  a  hint  that  could  be  used  to 
their  injury.  He  didn't  like  to  work,  but  he 
knew  he  would  have  to  if  he  was  not  ready 


334  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


witli  ''some  news  of  some  kind"  that  very 
night.  But  what  could  he  do  when  there 
wasn't  any  news?  In  his  extremity  he  bent 
his  steps  toward  the  barn  where  old  Morris  was 
busy  washing  the  carriage. 

*'  Say,"  he  began. 

"Look  here,  nigger,"  replied  Morris, 
straightening  up  as  quickly  as  a  jack  in  the 
box,  "who  you  calling  'Say'?  If  you  can't 
put  a  Mister  to  my  name,  cl'ar  yourself  and 
don't  bother  me  no  more." 

"  Say,  Mistah  Morris,"  repeated  Julius,  tak- 
ing another  start. 

"That's  better,"  said  the  coachman  approv- 
ingly.    "  What  was  you  going  to  deserve?" 

"Say,  Mistah  Morris,  we  uns  is  all  Union, 
ain'  t  we  ?  " 

"Jest  listen  at  the  chile.  G'  long,  honey. 
What  you  know  'bout  politicians?  Course  we 
is  all  Union  ;  all  except  the  overseer,  and  he 
ain't  fitten  to  live.     Run  along,  now." 

Julius  was  quite  willing  to  obey,  for  he  had 
learned  all  he  wanted  to  know.  If  Hanson 
was  a  rebel,  it  followed,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
that  it  would  afford  him  satisfaction  to  learn 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  335 

that  the  inmates  of  the  great  house  were 
rebels  also  ;  accordingly  when  the  time  came 
for  him  to  make  his  report,  he  was  on  hand 
and  eager  to  unburden  himself.  The  overseer, 
who  was  waiting  for  him,  took  him  into  a  room 
and  carefully  locked  the  door  behind  him. 
This  not  only  made  the  darkey  feel  a  little  un- 
easy, but  it  stimulated  his  inventive  faculties 
as  well. 

"What  do  you  know?"  Hanson  inquired, 
taking  his  pipe  from  the  mantel  over  the  fire- 
place.    "Have  you  heard  anything?" 

"Well — I — yes,  sar,"  stammered  Julius,  as 
if  he  did  not  know  how  to  begin.  "I — oh,  yes, 
sar.    Is  you  Union  ? " 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  rei)lied  Hanson.  "Every 
white  man  is." 

"Den  you  ain't  got  no  call  to  have  truck  wid 
de  Missus.  If  she  find  out  dat  you  is  Union, 
she  chuck  you  off'n  de  place  quick's  a  cat 
kin  bat  her  eye.  She  don't  like  Linkum.  I 
hearn  her  say  so  dis  bery  day." 

"Are  you  telling  me  the  truth?"  asked 
Hanson,  looking  sharply  at  the  darkey,  who 
met  his  gaze  without  fiinching. 


336  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


a 


If  I  ain't  telling  you  de  fac's  ob  de  case, 
you  kin  w'ar  dat  rawhide  o'  your'n  out  on  me 
quick's  you  please,"  said  the  boy,  earnestly. 
''If  you's  Union  you  best  dig  out,  kase  de 
Missus  put  de  secesh  on  you  suah,"  added 
Julius,  hoping  that  the  man  would  act  upon 
the  suggestion  and  leave  before  morning. 

''But  I  don't  want  to  give  the  Missus  ^varn- 
ing  till  I  know  that  she' s  got  money  enough  to 
jjay  me." 

"Oh,  yes,  sar;  she  got  plenty  ob  money," 
declared  Julius,  whereupon  Hanson  began 
pricking  up  his  ears.  "I  seen  her  have  as 
much  as  a  dollah  dis  bery  day.  I  seen  it  wid 
my  own  two  eyes." 

"A  dollar,"  sneered  the  overseer.  "She 
owes  me  inore'n  that,  and|slie's  got  more' n  that. 
She's  got  a  bushel  basketful  hid  away  some- 
Avhere  ;  and  Julius,  if  you  will  find  out  where 
it  is,  and  tell  me  and  nobody  else,  I  wdll  give 
you  a  piece  of  money  Just  like  that." 

As  he  said  this  he  piut  his  hand  into  his 
pocket  and  brought  out  a  twenty-dollar  gold 
piece— a  portion  of  the  liberal  sum  Colonel 
Shelby  had  given  him  for    spying   upon  the 


JULIUS    IN    TROUBLE.  337 

family  whose  bread  he  ate.  Julius  declared, 
with  much  earnestness,  that  he  didn't  believe 
Mrs.  Gray  had  concealed  any  money,  but  if  she 
had  he  could  find  it  out  if  anybody  could,  and 
he  would  bring  the  news  straight  to  the  over- 
seer. 

When  his  supposed  ally  took  his  departure 
Hanson  was  obliged  to  confess  to  himself  that 
he  did  not  know  any  more  about  Mrs.  Gray 
and  the  money  she  was  thought  to  nave  in  the 
house  than  he  did  before.  And  we  may  add 
that  he  never  did  learn  anything  through  the 
boy  Julius.  That  astute  darkey  w^as  altogether 
too  smart  for  the  overseer,  and  brought  him 
only  such  news  as  he  thought  the  man  w^anted 
to  hear ;  and  more  than  half  of  that  had  not  a 
word  of  truth  in  it.  In  the  first  place  his  only 
thought  and  desire  was  to  keep  the  overseer 
from  telling  his  mistress  that  he  stole  the  breast- 
pin ;  but  as  Hanson  became  more  communica- 
tive and  stood  less  on  his  guard,  and  the  boy's 
eyes  were  opened  to  the  startling  fact  that  Mrs. 
Gray  had  an  enemy  in  the  overseer,  he  threw 
the  fear  of  punishment  to  the  winds,  and  set 
himself  at  work  to  defeat  all  the  man's  plans. 

23 


338  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

How  he  managed  to  keep  his  secret  was  a 
mystery,  for  never  before  had  the  negro  been 
known  to  hold  his  tongue.  But  he  kept  it, 
and  kei^t  it  well  until  sailor  Jack  frightened 
it  out  of  him. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

THE   ENCHANTED    LOOKIT^G-GLASS. 

THINGS  went  on  in  this  unsatisfactory 
way  for  a  long  time — so  long,  in  fact, 
that  Hanson  began  to  grow  discouraged.  And 
well  he  might,  for  with  all  his  scheming  he 
had  not  been  able  to  add  a  single  scrap  of 
information  to  the  first  report  he  made  to 
Colonel  Shelby.  The  boy  Julius  held  man- 
fully to  his  story — that  Mrs.  Gray  was  the 
best  kind  of  a  Confederate,  that  she  had  no 
money  except  the  dollar  she  carried  in  her 
pocket-book — and  the  most  cunningly  worded 
cross-questioning  could  not  draw  anything 
else  from  him.  In  process  of  time  Fort  Sum- 
ter was  fired  upon,  Marcy  Gray  came  home 
from  school,  and  then  the  overseer  rubbed  his 
hands  joyously  and  told  himself  that  he  would 
soon  know  all  about  it.  Well,  he  didn't,  but 
Julius  did  ;  and  this  was  the  way  it  came 
about. 

339 


840  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNEK. 

In  the  ceiling  of  the  dining-room,  to  which 
apartment  the  family  usually  betook  them- 
selves when  they  had  anything  private  to  talk 
about,  was  a  stovepipe  hole,  communicating 
with  a  store-room  on  the  floor  above.  It  hap- 
pened that  Julius  was  roaming  about  the 
house  one  day  when  Mrs.  Gray  had  company 
at  dinner,  and  the  sound  of  voices  coming  up 
through  this  opening  attracted  his  attention. 
He  listened  a  moment,  and  found  that  he 
could  plainly  hear  every  word  that  w^as  ut- 
tered in  the  room  below ;  but  he  never  would 
have  thought  of  playing  the  part  of  eaves- 
dropi3er  if  Hanson  had  not  told  him  that  he 
was  expected  to  do  it.  Believing  that  he 
could  add  to  his  usefulness  and  better  guard 
the  interests  of  the  family  if  he  knew  more 
about  its  private  affairs,  Julius  hastened  to 
the  store-room  the  minute  he  saw  Marcy  and 
his  mother  going  in  to  breakfast,  and  put  his 
ear  directly  over  the  open  stovei)ipe  hole,  and 
heard  some  things  that  made  him  tremble  all 
over.  There  was  money  in  the  house  after 
all — thirty  thousand  dollars  all  in  gold  ;  it  was 
hidden  in  the  cellar  wall,  and  he  could  earn  a 


THE   ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  341 

nice  little  sum  by  carrying  the  news  straight 
to  the  overseer,  as  he  had  solemnly  promised 
to  do  ;  but  he  never  thought  of  it.  On  the 
contrary  he  strove  harder  than  ever  to  make 
Hanson  believe  that  there  was  not  a  dollar  in 
the  house  beyond  the  one  Mrs.  Gray  kept  in 
her  pocket;  because  why,  hadn't  he  heard  her 
tell  Marse  Marcy  so  with  his  own  two  ears? 
If  the  overseer  did  not  say  "money"  during 
their  interviews,  Julius  did  ;  but  he  did  not 
dwell  long  enough  on  the  subject  to  arouse  the 
man's  suspicions.  More  than  that,  Julias  was 
brave  enough  to  "take  the  bull  by  the  horns," 
and  one  day  he  disheartened  the  overseer  by 
declaring : 

"I  seen  something  dis  day,  Marse  Hanson, 
dat  done  took  my  breff  all  plum  away ;  I  did 
so.  Marse  Marcy  he  come  home  a  pujDpose  to 
go  into  our  army ;  and  his  mother  she  cried 
and  cried,  and  pooty  quick  she  say  :  *  My 
deah  boy,  dat  man  Linkum  mus'  be  whoj^ped  ; 
dat  am  de  f acs  in  de  case ' ;  and  den  she  slap 
him  on  de  back  and  sick  him  on.  Yes,  sar. 
I  done  ^ee  dat  wid  my  ow^n  two  eyes  dis  bery 
day." 


342  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

The  reason  Hanson  was  disheartened  was 
because  he  had  been  promised  a  liberal  reward 
if  he  could  bring  evidence  to  prove  that  Mrs. 
Gray  was  opposed  to  secession,  and  that  her 
journeys  to  Richmond  and  other  cities  had 
been  made  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  funds 
from  the  banks ;  and  when  Marcy  backed  up 
the  young  negro's  bold  statement  by  shipping 
on  board  Captain  Beardsley's  privateer,  Han- 
son came  to  the  sorrowful  conclusion  that  it 
was  not  in  his  power  to  earn  that  reward.  He 
was  none  too  good  to  bear  false  witness  against 
Mrs.  Gray,  but  he  was  afraid  to  do  it.  Sailor 
Jack  might  come  home  some  day,  and — well, 
Hanson  had  never  seen  sailor  Jack  but  he 
had  been  told  that  he  was  a  good  one  to  let 
alone. 

The  long-expected  wanderer  returned  in  due 
time,  and  the  wide-awake  little  negro  was  the 
second  on  the  plantation  to  find  it  out,  Bose 
being  the  first.  Julius  slept  in  the  back  part 
of  the  house,  so  close  to  Marcy' s  room  that  if 
the  latter  wanted  anything  during  the  night, 
all  he  had  to  do  was  to  open  his  window  and 
call  out,  and  consequently  it  was  no  trouble  at 


THE   ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  343 

all  for  him  to  catch  every  word  that  passed 
between  Jack  and  his  brother.  He  was  not  far 
off  when  the  sailor  was  admitted  at  the  front 
door,  and  when  he  saw  the  reunited  family  go 
into  the  dining-room,  he  bounded  up  the  back 
stairs  into  the  store-room  and  placed  his  ear 
at  the  stovepipe  hole — not  because  he  wanted 
to  repeat  anything  he  heard,  you  will  under- 
stand, but  because  he  wanted  to  know  what 
subjects  to  steer  clear  of  in  his  interviews  with 
the  overseer.  When  he  heard  that  Jack  had 
passed  himself  oif  for  a  rebel,  that  he  had 
brought  a  smuggler  into  a  Southern  port,  and 
tliat  he  had  made  considerable  money  out  of 
the  sale  of  his  venture,  Julius  thought  it 
would  helj)  matters  if  the  news  were  sjDread 
broadcast ;  and  he  lost  no  time  in  spreading  it 
among  the  negroes,  and  by  their  aid  it  reached 
Nashville  before  the  boys  went  there  for  their 
mail  the  next  morning.  He  told  about  the 
Hattle' s  adventure  with  the  steam  launch, 
also  (of  course  he  made  it  more  thrilling  than 
it  really  was),  and  that  was  the  way  Captain 
Beardsley's  daughter  came  to  know  so  much 
about  it ;  but  he  never  said  a  word  concerning 


344  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


Jack's   short   captivity  in  the  hands   of  the 
Sumtefs  men. 

After  Jack  had  been  at  home  long  enough  to 
find  out  how  things  stood,  he  set  himself  at 
work  to  learn  who  it  was  that  kept  certain 
people  in  the  neighborhood  so  well  posted  in 
regard  to  his  mother  s  private  affairs.  He  said 
not  a  word  to  anybody,  but  worked  in  secret, 
for  he  believed  that  his  efforts  would  result 
in  the  unearthing  of  a  spy  who  lived  in  the 
house.  It  would  add  to  his  mothers  troubles 
if  she  knew  that  Jack  believed,  as  she  did, 
that  there  was  some  trusted  servant  who  kept 
an  eye  on  her  movements  and  went  to  the 
overseer  with  a  report  of  them — so  he  kept  his 
own  counsel,  and  laid  siege  to  Hanson  the  very 
first  thing.  The  latter  wasn't  sharp  enough  to 
hold  his  own  with  any  such  fellow  as  Jack 
Gray,  and  Jack  learned  all  he  cared  to  know 
about  Hanson  in  less  than  two  days.  The 
next  step  was  to  find  the  servant  on  whom  the 
overseer  depended  for  his  information.  This 
looked  like  a  hopeless  task,  but  fortune 
favored  him.  One  morning  he  stood  in  front 
of  the  mirror  in  Marcy's  room  performing  his 


THE   ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  345 

toilet.  The  door,  Avhicli  was  behind  and  a 
little  to  one  side  of  him,  was  open,  and  the 
lower  end  of  the  long  hall  was  plainly  re- 
flected ux)on  the  polished  surface  of  the  look- 
ing-glass. So  was  the  slim,  agile  figure  of 
the  small  darkey  who  slipped  out  of  one  of 
the  rooms,  ran  along  the  hall  with  the  speed 
of  the  wind,  and  disappeared  down  the  back 
stairs. 

"That's  Julius,"  said  Jack,  whose  first 
thought  was  to  call  the  boy  back  and  make 
him  give  an  account  of  himself.  "He  has 
been  up  to  some  mischief,  I'  11  warrant ;  but  I 
will  see  if  I  can  find  out  what  it  is  before  haul- 
ing him  over  the  coals." 

So  saying  Jack  stepped  into  the  hall,  and 
the  first  door  he  opened  was  the  one  leading 
into  the  store-room.  There  was  the  open  stove- 
pipe hole,  and  through  it  voices  came  up  from 
the  room  below.  He  bent  a  little  closer  to  it, 
and  distinctly  heard  his  mother  tell  one  of  the 
girls  to  put  breakfast  on  the  table  and  ring 
the  bell  for  the  boys.  In  an  instant  the  whole 
secret  flashed  upon  him.  He  said  not  a  word, 
but  as  soon  as  he  returned  from  the  post-office, 


346  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

and  Marcy  had  ridden  to  tlie  field  to  carry 
some  instructions  to  the  overseer,  Jack  went 
lip  to  his  room,  leaving  orders  with  one  of  the 
girls  to  send  Julius  there  at  once.  When  he 
came,  the  first  thing  Jack  did  was  to  lock  the 
door  and  jHit  the  key  in  his  pocket. 

"  Now,  Julius,"  said  he,  in  his  most  solemn 
tones,  his  face  at  the  same  time  taking  on  a 
fierce  frown,  "if  you  are  an  innocent  boy,  if 
you  have  been  strictly  honest  and  truthful 
ever  since  I  have  been  at  sea,  if  you  have 
obeyed  your  mistress  and  kept  your  hands  off 
things  that  do  not  belong  to  you " 

"  Oh,  Marse  Jack,"  exclaimed  the  frightened 
boy.     "  Suah  hope  to  die  I  nevah " 

"Don't  interrui)t  me,"  commanded  Jack, 
with  a  still  more  savage  frown.  "I'll  show 
you  in  a  minute  that  I  have  it  in  my  power  to 
find  out  just  what  you  have  done  while  I  have 
been  gone,  from  the  time  you  stole " 

"Marse  Jack,  I  nevah  took  dat  breastpin; 
suah  hope  to  die  if  I  did,"  began  Julius. 

"Hal-lo!"  thought  Jack.  "I've  got  on  to 
something  when  I  least  expected  it.  That's 
what  comes  of    knowing    how    to    handle    a 


THE   ET^CHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  347 

darkey.     I  didn't  even  know  that  mother  had 
lost  a  breastx)in." 

' '  I  haven' t  asked  yon  whether  you  stole  it 
or  not,"  he  said,  aloud.  "There  is  no  need 
that  I  should  ask  you  any  questions,  for  I  have 
a  way  of  finding  out  everything  I  want  to 
know.  If  you  have  been  an  honest,  truthful 
boy  during  the  last  two  years,  sit  down  in  that 
chair  ;  but  I  warn  you  that  if  you  are  deceiving 
me,  it  will  drop  to  pieces  with  you  and  let  you 
down  on  the  floor.     Sit  down  ! " 

"Oh,  Marse  Jack,"  cried  the  darkey,  back- 
ing away  from  the  chair.  "  Don't  I  done  tol' 
you  dat  I  didn'  t  took  it  ? " 

"Do  you  stick  to  that  story?"  demanded 
Jack. 

Yes,  sar.  I  stick  to  it  till  I  i)luni  dead." 
All  right.  I  hope  you  are  telling  me  the 
truth,  and  Til  very  soon  find  out  whether  you 
are  or  not.  The  Yankees  are  coming  right 
through  this  country  some  day,  and  I  don't 
want  to  give  you  up  to  them,  as  I  am  afraid  I 
shall  have  to  do.  You  have  heard  Aunt  Mandy 
tell  her  pickaninnies  what  awful  fellows  the 
Yankees  are,  have  you  not  ?    Why,  Julius,  it 


348  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

scares  me  to  think  of  them.  If  a  live  Yankee 
was  in  this  room  this  minute, — don' t  get  behind 
me,  for  I  wouldn't  try  to  help  you  if  one 
should  walk  in  and  carry  you  off, — if  one  came 
in  and  sat  down  in  that  chair  that  will  fall  to 
pieces  if  you  touch  it,  and  you  should  take  off 
his  hat  and  his  right  boot,  you  would  find  that 
he  had  horns  and  a  cloven  hoof — a  hoof  like 
an  ox  instead  of  a  foot  like  yours." 

^'Look  a  hyar,  Marse  Jack,"  exclaimed  Ju- 
lius, clinging  to  the  sailor  with  one  trembling 
hand  while  he  pointed  toward  the  wash-stand 
with  the  other.  '•  Wha — wha'  you  doing  da'  1 
Wha'  dat  white  stuff  for  r ' 

While  Jack  was  telling  the  boy  what  terrible 
fellows  the  Yankees  were  supposed  to  be,  he 
had  slowly  and  solemnly  filled  a  goblet  with 
water  from  the  pitcher,  and  then  in  the  same 
solemn  and  deliberate  way  drew  forth  his 
ditty-bag  and  took  from  it  a  small  bottle 
containing  a  harmless-looking  white  powder 
known  to  the  druggists  as  citrate  of  magnesia. 
He  held  it  at  arm's  length  as  if  he  were  afraid 
of  it,  and  that  made  Julius  so  weak  with  terror 
that  he  could  scarcely  keep  his  feet. 


THE   ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  349 

"Do  you  want  to  know  what — look  out  for 
yourself,  now  !  If  it  explodes  when  I  remove 
the  cork,  look  out !  Do  you  want  to  know  what 
this  is?"  said  Jack.  "Then  I  must  whisper 
the  words  to  you,  for  it  would  never  do  to  say 
them  out  loud.  It  is  my  enchanted  looking- 
glass — my  fetich — my  voodoo  charm." 

That  was  too  much  for  Julius.  With  a  wild 
scream  he  jumped  for  the  door  ;  but  it  was 
locked,  and  he  could  not  get  out. 

"Now  watch,"  continued  Jack,  who  knew 
that  he  would  get  at  the  truth  of  the  whole 
matter  in  a  minute  more.  "To  begin  with,  I 
shall  command  my  enchanted  looking-glass  to 
show  me  the  likeness  of  the  villain  who  stole 
that  breastpin  ;  and  in  the  next,  I  shall  tell  it 
to  show  me  the  place  where  it  is  now.  Now, 
stand  by  to  look  in  and  tell  me  who  you  see 
there." 

He  j)oured  a  small  portion  of  the  white  x3ow- 
der  into  the  goblet,  whose  contents  at  once 
began  to  bubble  and  boil  in  the  most  unac- 
countable manner.  When  the  water  boiled  up 
to  the  top  and  ran  over  on  the  wash-stand, 
Jack  commanded  Julius  to  look  in  and  tell 


350  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

liim  what  he*  saw  there ;  but  the  boy  sprang 
away  and  curled  himself  up  on  the  floor  in  the 
farthest  corner  of  the  room. 

"Come  here!"  said  Jack  sternly.  "You 
won't?  Then  I'll  look  myself.  Ah!  What  is 
this  I  see  ?  Julius,  come  here  this  instant  and 
tell  me  who  this  is." 

Jack  emj)basized  the  order  by  taking  the 
negro  by  the  back  of  the  neck  and  lifting  him 
to  his  feet ;  but  he  soon  found  that  he  could 
not  hold  him  there  without  the  use  of  more 
strength  than  he  cared  to  put  forth.  Julius 
was  like  an  eel  in  his  grasp.  As  fast  as  he 
raised  him  from  the  floor  he  would  somehow 
manage  to  slip  back  again ;  and  all  the  while 
he  begged  and  pleaded  so  loudly  that  Jack 
was  forced  to  desist  for  fear  that  his  mother 
would  hear  the  uproar,  and  come  to  the-  door 
to  ask  what  was  the  matter. 

"  You  are  afraid  to  look  in  that  goblet  and 
you  dare  not  sit  in  the  chair,"  said  Jack  at 
length.  "That  i^roves  that  you  did  take  the 
I)in.  Now  where  is  it  ?  If  I  have  to  fill  my 
enchanted  glass  again,  I'll  make  you  look  in  it 
whether  you  want  to  or  not.     Where  is  it?" 


THE  ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.         351 

*'De  oberseer  got  it,"  was  the  reply  that 
made  the  sailor  wonder  whether  he  was  awake 
or  dreaming.  "  Suah's  you  born,  de  oberseer 
done  made  me  gib  it  to  him." 

Jack  had  not  the  least  doubt  of  it,  but  in 
order  to  test  the  boy's  sincerity,  he  told  him 
to  sit  down  in  the  chair,  assuring  him,  at  the 
same  time,  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear.  As  he 
had  atoned  for  bis  guilt  by  making  a  confes- 
sion, the  chair  would  hold  him  up  as  it  would 
anybody  else.  Julius  tremblingly  obeyed, 
and  when  he  found  that  the  chair  reallv  did 
support  him,  he  gained  courage,  and  with  a 
little  questioning  told  the  whole  story  pretty 
nearly  as  we  have  told  it,  with  this  difference  : 
He  omitted  some  important  items  which  we 
have  been  obliged  to  explain  in  order  to  make 
the  narrative  clear  to  the  reader.  It  was  a  very 
nice  scheme,  Jack  told  himself,  but  he  had  not 
yet  got  the  game  as  completely  in  his  own 
hands  as  he  determined  to  have  it. 

'^Julius,"  said  he  impressively,  "do  you 
know  what  will  happen  to  you  if  you  fail  to 
prove  the  truth  of  this  most  remarkable  tale  ? 
You'll  be  sold  down  South  before  the  week  is 


352  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


over.  A  darkey  who  has  been  as  carefully 
brought  up  as  you  have  wouldn'  t  last  long  in 
the  cotton  fields." 

"But,  Marse  Jack,"  said  Julius  earnestly, 
"  I  kin  prove  dat  I  ain'  t  tole  you  nuffin  but  the 
gospel  truth.  I  kin  fotch  you  de  pin  ;  but 
you  musn't  luff  de  oberseer  whop  me." 

"He  shall  not  iDut  a  hand  on  you,"  Jack 
assured  him.  "Keep  away  from  the  quarter, 
take  no  more  reports  to  him,  and  I  will  stand 
between  you  and  all  harm." 

As  he  said  this  he  unlocked  the  door,  and 
the  darkey  disapx)eared  like  a  flash.  He  w^as 
gone  about  half  an  hour,  and  when  he  returned 
he  handed  Jack  the  breastpin,  wdiich  was 
wrapi3ed  in  a  piece  of  newspaper.  The  over- 
seer being  away  in  the  field  and  his  cabin  un- 
locked, it  was  a  matter  of  no  difficulty  for  the 
darkey  to  rummage  his  bureau  draw^ers  until 
he  found  the  object  of  which  he  was  in  search. 
Whether  or  not  Hanson  ever  discovered  that 
he  had  been  robbed  of  the  "  charm"  that  gave 
him  such  power  over  Julius,  Jack  never  knew. 
If  he  did,  he  never  said  a  word  about  it  while 
he  remained  on  that  plantation. 


THE  e:^chanted  looking-glass.       353 

But  this  was  not  the  only  good  work  Jack 
Gray  did  during  the  first  two  weeks  he  passed 
at  home.  When  the  West  Wind  w^as  a  day  out 
from  Boston,  he  accidentally  learned  that  one 
of  his  best  foremast  hands  was  a  resident  of 
his  own  State,  and  that  his  father,  who  was  a 
strong  Union  man,  lived  but  an  hour's  ride 
from  Nashville.  Of  course  the  two  became 
friends  at  once.  All  the  lightest  and  easiest 
jobs  about  deck  seemed  to  fall  into  Aleck 
Webster's  hands,  and  Jack  won  the  good  will 
of  his  mess  by  taking  it  upon  himself  to  see 
that  their  food  w^as  not  only  abundant,  but 
that  it  was  well-cooked  and  projDerly  served. 
They  talked  over  the  situation  as  often  as  they 
could  get  together,  and  not  knowing  just  how 
matters  stood  at  home  they  concluded  that 
they  had  better  not  recognize  each  other  after 
they  reached  l^ewbern.  If,  after  they  had 
passed  a  few  days  at  their  respective  homes, 
they  thought  it  safe  to  do  so,  they  could  very 
easily  bring  about  a  meeting,  and  who  could  tell 
but  that  they  might  find  opportunity  to  w^ork 
together  for  the  good  of  the  old  flag,  or  for 
the  relief  of  some  ]3ersecuted  Unionist  ?    Jack 

23 


354  MARCY,  THE   BLOCK ADE-EUNNEK. 

knew  of  one  Unionist  avIio  was  persecuted  by 
being  watched  by  rebel  neighbors,  and  that 
one  was  his  mother.  He  and  Webster  met  at 
the  post-office  one  morning,  but  they  met  as 
strangers.  In  fact  his  shipmate  was  a  stranger 
to  all  present,  for  his  father,  who  was  a  small 
farmer,  had  moved  into  that  section  from 
Georgia  wdiile  Aleck  was  at  sea.  Having  the 
misfortune  to  be  a  ''cracker,"  or  a  poor  white, 
Mr.  Webster  was  rather  looked  down  on  by 
such  men  as  Colonel  Shelby  and  Major  Dillon, 
but  Jack  Gray  was  not  that  sort.  Aleck  was  a 
good  sailor,  and  such  a  man  was  worth  more  in 
a  gale  at  sea  than  a  landsman  who  could  call 
upon  his  bank  account  for  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 

During  his  first  interview  with  his  old  ship- 
mate Jack  Gray  heard  some  things  that  made 
him  open  his  eyes.  It  was  true,  as  he  after- 
ward told  Marcy,  that  the  Union  men  in  the 
neighborhood  were  few  in  number,  and  that 
they  dared  not  say  out  loud  that  their  souls 
were  their  own  ;  but  they  were  well  organized, 
and  by  no  means  afraid  to  follow  the  example 
set  them  by  the   rebels,   and  act   in  secret. 


THE  ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.         355 

Aleck  said  that  there  were  about  twenty  of 
them  all  told,  and  no  one  could  join  their  com- 
pany unless  he  was  vouched  for  by  every  man 
in  it.  They  calculated  to  defend  themselves 
and  one  another.  They  would  not  go  into  the 
Confederate  service,  and  if  they  were  crowded 
upon  too  closely  they  would  take  to  the 
swamps  and  fight  it  out  with  any  force  that 
might  be  sent  against  them.  They  were  well 
armed  and  resolute,  and  Aleck  said  they  would 
be  in  just  the  right  humor  to  deal  with  Han- 
son's case  when  it  was  brought  to  their  notice 
at  their  next  meeting. 

"  My  mother  rather  took  me  to  task  because 
I  helx^ed  that  smuggler  into  port,  but  if  you 
can  give  me  the  assurance  that  these  Union 
men  will  stand  between  her  and  that  cowardly 
overseer  she's  got  on  the  place,  I  shall  be  glad 
I  became  a  smuggler  for  the  time  being,"  said 
Jack. 

"I  can  give  you  that  assurance,  Mr.  Gray," 
said  Aleck  positively.  "That's  just  what  the 
company,  or  society,  or  whatever  you  have  a 
mind  to  call  it,  was  got  together  for.  I  know, 
because  I  was  present  at  their  last  meeting. 


356  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

and  the  whole  thing  was  explained  to  me  be- 
fore I  took  the  oath  to  stand  by  it.  Why  can't 
you  come  down  and  join  usT' 

^' We're  not  on  board  ship  now,  and  my 
name  is  Jack.  There's  no  Mister  about  it," 
was  the  reply.  "  I  am  in  full  sympathy  with 
you  and  with  the  object  for  which  you  have 
been  brought  together,  and  if  I  was  going  to 
stay  at  home  I  should  surely  ask  you  to  hand 
in  my  name.  But  my  mother  will  be  defense- 
less when  I  go  into  the  navy  and  Marcy  leaves 
to  join  that  blockade-runner,  and  if  Shelby 
and  Beardsley  and  Hanson  should  find  out 
that  I  knew  there  was  an  organization  like 
yours  in  existence,  they  would  burn  up  every- 
thing we've  got.  AVe  can't  discharge  Hanson 
without  bringing  ourselves  into  serious  trou- 
ble ;  and  if  you  fellows  could  think  up  some 
way  to  drive  him  off  the  jDlace,  and  bring  old 
Beardsley  home  so  that  my  brother  wouldn't 
have  to  go  blockade  running  any  more,  you 
would  make  us  all  your  everlasting  debtors." 

''If  you  wanted  to  write  to  this  Cai^tain 
Beardsley  you  would  address  him  at  Newbern, 
wouldn't  you?    AH   right.     We  meet  some- 


THE  ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  357 

where  in  the  woods  next  Wednesday  night, 
and  then  we  will  talk  it  over  and  see  what  can 
be  done  for  you." 

Jack  Gray  always  was  light-hearted  and 
jolly,  no  matter  whether  things  worked  to  suit 
him  or  not ;  but  Marcy  and  his  mother  thought 
they  had  never  seen  him  quite  so  much  at 
peace  with  himself  and  all  the  world  as  he  ap- 
peared to  be  after  this  interview  with  Aleck 
Webster.  If  those  Union  men  were  in  earnest 
and  did  what  his  shipmate  thought  they  cer- 
tainly would  do,  there  might  be  a  fight  right 
there  on  the  plantation  ;  and  tha*t  was  the  rea- 
son Jack  did  not  take  his  mother  into  his  con- 
fidence. To  quote  from  Marcy,  she  had 
enough  to  trouble  her  already.  If  the  attempt 
to  drive  the  overseer  from  the  place  was  made 
and  resulted  in  failure,  it  would  probably  lead 
to  some  vigorous  action  on  the  part  of  Colonel 
Shelby  and  his  friends;  and  that  was  the  rea- 
son Jack  did  not  tell  Marcy  of  it.  If  a  diffi- 
culty arose,  he  wanted  Marcy  to  be  able  to  say 
that  he  did  not  know  a  thing  about  it.  But 
this  particular  night  might  be  the  last  one  he 
would  ever  spend  with   his   brother,  and  he 


358  MAECY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 


? 


thought  it  prudent  to  make  a  clean  breast  of 
the  matter. 

"That  is  my  story,"  said  Jack,  in  conclu- 
sion.    "  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

"I  think  you  have  worked  to  some  pur- 
pose," rei)lied  Marcy,  who  could  not  yet  under- 
stand how  Jack  had  done  all  this  witliout  his 
knowledge.  "But  there  is  one  thing  you  have 
yet  to  explain.  You  told  me  that  I  need  not 
go  back  to  the  Hattie  if  I  don't  want  to.  I 
certainly  do  not  want  to,  but  how  shall  I  get 
out  of  it?" 

This  was  tlie  way  Jack  exj^lained  that.  On 
the  Thursday  morning  following  the  day  on 
which  he  held  his  first  interview  with  Aleck 
Webster,  he  met  him  again,  and  the  young  fel- 
low had  startling  news  for  him.  After  the 
two  had  seated  themselves  on  a  low  fence  a 
little  way  from  the  store,  Aleck  fastened  his 
gaze  upon  a  paper  he  held  in  his  hand  and 
said  : 

"It  is  just  as  I  told  you  it  would  be.  Our 
men  were  all  mad  when  I  told  them  that 
Unionists,  and  women  at  that,  were  being  mis- 
treated right  here  under  their  very  noses,  and 


THE   ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  359 

them  setting  around  like  bumps  on  a  log  and 
doing  nothing  to  stop  it,  and  it's  my  private 
opinion  that  if  that  overseer  of  your'n  had 
been  handy  last  night,  they  would  have  used 
him  rough.  He'll  get  out  ;  I  can  promise  you 
that." 

"Well,  look  here,  Aleck.  My  brother  is 
going  to  take  me  down  to  the  blockading  fleet 
in  a  few  days,  and  I  wish  you  w^ouldn't  make 
a  move  until  we  are  gone.  Then  folks  can't 
say  we  had  a  hand  in  it  or  knew  anything 
about  it." 

"  Very  good,  sir.  We'll  look  out  for  that. 
And  x^erhaps  you  and  your  brother  will  be 
glad  to  learn  that  Captain  Beardsley  will  be 
warned  to-day  that  if  he  don't  quit  blockade 
running  and  bringing  in  supplies  for  the  Con- 
federacy, he  will  miss  some  of  his  buildings 
when  he  gets  back." 

"  That  will  bring  him  sure,"  said  Jack  glee- 
fully. "You  can't  touch  him  in  a  worse 
place  than  his  pocket.  But  you  didn't  say 
anything  about  his  forcing  Marcy  into  the 
rebel  service,  did  you?  For  if  you  did,  he'll 
bounce  my  folks  the  minute  he  gets  home." 


360  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNEK. 

'^  If  he  tries  it,  may  be  he'll  miss  some  more 
buildings  when  he  gets  up  in  the  morning," 
said  Aleck. 

''But  he'll  not  let  you  or  anybody  know 
that  he  is  working  against  them,"  said  Jack. 
"  He's  too  sharp  for  that." 

"  If  anything  happens  to  your  folks  we  will 
lay  it  to  him  and  act  accordingly,"  said  Aleck, 
with  a  laugh.  "  But  the  man  who  was  told  to 
write  that  letter  to  Beardsley  will  take  care  to 
word  it  so  that  he  can't  lay  the  blame  on  any 
one  person's  shoulders.  You  tell  your  brother 
that  if  he  doesn't  want  to  go  blockade  running 
again,  he  needn'  t  go ;  for  his  schooner  is 
about  to  quit  the  business." 

"  Do  I  know  any  of  those  Union  men  ? ''  in- 
quired Marcy. 

"Probably  you  are  acquainted  with  all  of 
them,  but  they  will  make  no  sign,"  replied 
Jack.  "The  only  one  I  know  is  Aleck  Web- 
ster. I  tell  you  it  was  a  lucky  thing  for  all  of 
us  when  Captain  Frazier  took  me  aboard  the 
West  Wind,  Now  you  take  charge  of  this 
pin,  and  when  the  agony  is  all  over,  when 
Beardsley  has  been  brought  home  and  Hanson 


THE   ENCHANTED   LOOKING-GLASS.  361 

lias  been  taken  care  of,  give  it  to  mother  and 
tell  lier  liow  you  came  by  it.  Perhaps  the 
story  will  prove  as  interesting  to  her  as  I  hope 
it  has  been  to  yon.  Now,  let's  go  into  the 
house.  She  will  wonder  what  is  keeping  us 
out  so  long." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

OFF    FOR    THE    FLEET, 

MRS.  GRAY  was  always  uneasy  when  tlie 
boys  were  out  of  her  sight,  and  that 
was  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  they  so  often 
brought  her  bad  news  when  they  came  back. 
But  on  this  particular  evening  they  had  no 
news  of  any  sort,  except  that  which  shone 
from  their  radiant  faces.  Marcy  thought  he 
had  good  reason  to  feel  light-hearted,  for  was 
he  not  getting  the  better  of  the  secret  enemies 
of  whom  he  and  his  mother  had  stood  so  much 
in  fear?  Julius  would  carry  no  more  reports 
to  Hanson  ;  Hanson  himself  would  soon  disap- 
pear from  their  sight ;  Captain  Beardsley 
would  be  compelled  to  stop  blockade  running  ; 
and  Colonel  Shelby  and  his  friends  would  have 
to  act  with  the  greatest  caution  in  order  to 
escape  the  vengeance  of  the  Union  men  who 
held  secret  meetings  somewhere  in  the  woods. 
That  was  good  news  enough  for  one  night,  and 

363 


OFF  FOR  THE  FLEET.  363 

Marcy  was  sorry  that  he  was  obliged  to  keep 
it  from  his  mother.  It  was  long  after  mid- 
night when  the  boys  went  upstairs,  and  there 
they  passed  another  half  hour  in  ripping  up 
one  of  Marcy' s  bed  quilts  to  get  at  the  flags 
that  had  been  stitched  into  it. 

"  I  hope  there  are  no  more  privateers  on  the 
coast,"  said  Marcy,  as  he  drew  one  of  the 
flags  from  its  hiding  place. 

"  So  do  I,"  replied  Jack,  "  for  if  we  should 
happen  to  run  foul  of  one  of  them,  my  Con- 
federate colors  would  be  no  protection  what- 
ever. The  boarding  officer  would  very  natur- 
ally inquire  :  '  AVhat  are  you  doing  out  here 
so  near  the  blockading  fleet  ? '  and  no  answer 
that  we  could  give  would  satisfy  him.  Why 
don' t  you  take  the  old  one  ?  It  would  be  a 
pity  to  have  that  nice  piece  of  silk  whijDped  to 
tatters  by  a  Cai)e  Hatteras  gale." 

"My  friend  Dick  Graham  gave  me  that  old 
flag,"  answered  Marcy  ;  "and  I  told  him  that 
the  next  time  it  was  hoisted  it  would  be  in  a 
breeze  that  was  not  tainted  by  any  secession 
rag.  I  want  to  keep  my  promise  if  I  can. 
N'ow,  I  will  put  what  is  left  of  the  quilt  in  my 


364  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

trunk  where  motlier  can  find  it  in  the  morning." 
After  that  the  boys  went  to  bed,  but  not  to 
sleep.  Marcy  was  too  nervous.  Thinking  over 
the  details  of  the  remarkable  story  his  brother 
had  told  him  during  the  evening,  and  speculat- 
ing upon  the  possible  results  of  his  trip  to  the 
blockading  fleet,  effectually  banished  slumber; 
and  seeing  how  restless  he  was.  Jack  was  con- 
siderate enough  to  stay  awake  to  keep  him 
company.  The  time  passed  more  rapidly  than 
it  generally  does  under  such  circumstances,  and 
it  did  not  seem  to  them  that  tliey  had  been  in 
bed  an  hour  before  they  heard  their  mother's 
gentle  tap  at  the  door,  and  her  voice  telling 
them  that  the  day  was  breaking. 

"I  told  her  we  shouldn't  need  a  warm  break- 
fast," said  Marcy.  "  But  this  looks  as  though 
she  had  stayed  up  all  night  on  jDurpose  to  have 
one  ready  for  us." 

The  only  thing  the  boys  had  to  do  before  they 
left  the  room  was  to  hide  some  papers  which 
they  did  not  want  anybody  to  see  while  they 
were  gone — to  wit,  Marcy' s  leaves  of  absence, 
signed  by  Captain  Beardsley,  and  the  letter  of 
recommendation  that  the  master  of  the  smug- 


OFF  FOR  THE  FLEET.  365 

gling  vessel  had  given  Jack.  These  they  slipped 
under  the  edge  of  the  carpet,  where  the  boys 
thought  they  would  be  safe  (they  little  dreamed 
that  the  time  would  come  when  that  same  car- 
pet would  be  torn  up  and  cut  into  blankets  for 
the  use  of  Confederate  soldiers) ;  but  the  pa- 
pers which  related  to  the  part  he  had  taken  in 
rescuing  the  brig  Sahine  from  the  hands  of  the 
Sitmtef  s  men,  Jack  put  carefully  into  his 
pocket.  They  were  documents  that  he  would 
not  be  afraid  or  ashamed  to  show  to  the  officers 
of  the  blockading  fleet. 

That  was  the  last  breakfast  that  Jack  Gray 
ate  under  his  mother's  roof  for  long  months  to 
come.  Realizing  that  it  might  be  so,  it  required 
the  exercise  of  all  the  will  power  he  was  mas- 
ter of  to  keej)  him  from  showing  how  very 
gloomy  he  felt  over  the  coming  sejDaration.  He 
was  glad  when  the  ordeal  was  over,  when  the  last 
kiss  and  the  last  encouraging  words  had  been 
given,  and  he  and  Marcy,  with  the  two  rival 
flags  stowed  away  in  a  valise,  were  on  their  way 
to  the  creek.  Greatly  to  Marcy' s  surprise, 
though  not  much  to  Jack's,  they  found  the 
little  skiS  which  did  duty  as  the  Fairy  Belle's 


366  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

tender  drawn  out  upon  the  bank,  and  Marcy 
was  almost  certain  that  he  saw  the  woolly  head 
of  the  boy  Julius  drawn  out  of  sight  behind 
the  schooner's  rail. 

"What's  the  meaning  of  this?"  he  de- 
manded.    "  Where  are  the  ship-keepers  ?  " 

"Let's  go  aboard  and  find  out,"  replied 
Jack,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  which  said  that 
he  could  tell  all  about  it  if  he  were  so  inclined. 
"  I  was  afraid  we  would  have  to  tOAvout  to  the 
river  ;  but  this  is  a  topsail  breeze  that  will  take 
us  down  there  without  any  trouble  at  all.  Take 
the  valise  and  get  in  and  I  will  shove  off." 

Marcy  had  plenty  of  questions  to  ask,  but 
knowing  that  his  brother  would  not  take  the 
least  notice  of  them  unless  he  felt  like  it,  he 
stepped  into  the  tender  and  picked  up  one  of 
the  oars.  A  few  sturdy  strokes  suflaced  to  lay 
the  skiff  alongside  the  schooner,  and  the  first 
thing  Marcy  did  when  he  jumped  aboard, 
leaving  Jack  to  drop  the  small  boat  astern, 
was  to  look  down  the  hatchway  that  led  into 
the  forecastle.  There  stood  Julius,  as  big  as 
life,  with  his  feet  spread  out,  his  hands  resting 
en  his  hips,  and  a  broad  grin  on  his  face. 


OFF   FOR  THE   FLEET.  367 

''What  are  you  doing  there,  you  imp  of 
darkness?"  exclaimed  Marcy.  "Didn't  you 
understand  that  we  don't  want  any  Abolition- 
ists aboard  of  us  this  trip  ? " 

"G'long  now,  honey,"  replied  the  boy,  turn- 
ing his  head  on  one  side  and  waving  Marcy 
away  with  his  hand.  "Ise  heah 'cording  to 
Marse  Jack's  orders." 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Jack,  who  had  come 
aboard  by  this  time  and  was  making  the  skiff 
fast  to  the  stern.  "You  see,"  he  added,  com- 
ing forward,  "I  wanted  to  make  all  the  dar- 
keys on  the  place  think  that  I  am  going  down 
to  Wewbern  to  join  the  rebel  gunboat  that  so 
many  peoi^le  seem  to  tliink  is  being  built  there." 

"Aw,  g'  long  now,  Marse  Jack,"  said  Julius. 
"Mebbe  de  niggahs  all  fools,  but  dey  ain't 
none  of  dem  b'lieves  dat." 

"  You  hold  your  tongue,"  said  Jack  good- 
naturedly.  "Perliax)s  our  darkeys  are  all 
right,  and  perhaps  they  are  not.  It  won't  do 
in  times  like  these  to  trust  too  many  with 
things  that  you  don't  want  to  have  scattered 
broadcast  over  the  neighborhood.  Our  nigs 
all  know,   Marcy,  that  you  have  been  in  the 


368  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

habit  of  taking  Julius  with  you  on  all  your 
trips  about  the  coast,  and  when  I  told  him  to 
stay  behind  I  did  it  with  an  object.  I  meant 
to  take  him  and  he  knew  it.  You  wall  need 
his  help  coming  back,  and  his  presence  wdll 
give  weight  to  the  story  we  are  going  to  tell 
the  blockaders." 

^'But  what  will  the  hands  say  when  they 
miss  him?"  inquired  Marcy.  ^^What  will 
mother  think  ?" 

*'  Dey'll  all  think  I  done  took  to  de  swamp," 
declared  Julius,  with  such  a  hearty  guffaw 
that  it  made  the  boys  laugh  to  hear  it.  ^'  Dat's 
what  I  tole  'em  all  I  going  to  do,  and  I  ain't 
nevah  coming  back  no  mo'  till  Marse  Marcy 
come  too." 

"You  see  he  played  his  part  well.  There's 
the  chink  I  promised  you,"  said  Jack,  tossing 
a  gold  coin  down  to  the  boy,  who  scrambled 
for  it  as  though  some  one  was  trying  to  get  it 
away  from  him. 

*'  But  what  has  become  of  the  two  ship-keep- 
ers?" said  Marcy.  '^They  were  told  to  re- 
main on  board  till  we  came." 

"Law-zee,  Marse  Marcy,"  exclaimed  Julius, 


OFF   FOR  THE   FLEET.  369 

with  another  laugh,  -''you  jes'  oughter  see 
dem  niggahs  hump  demselves  when  I  swum  off 
to  de  schooner  and  cotch  de  bob-stay.  'Oh, 
dere's  one  of  dem  white  things,'  dey  holler  ; 
but  I  ain't  white  and  I  knows  it,  and  den  dey 
run  for  de  skiff  and  jump  in  and  go  off  to 
de  sho'  so  quick  you  can't  see  'em  for  de  foam 
dey  riz  in  de  watah." 

"Did  you  scare  them  away?"  exclaimed 
Marcy. 

"I  reckon  so,  sar;  kase  dere  ain't  nobody 
but  Julius  been  on  de  schooner  or  'bout  it 
sence  dat  time." 

''Well,  let's  get  to  work,"  said  Jack. 
"Julius,  you  stay  below  till  I  tell  you  to  come 
up,  do  you  hear  ?  If  I  see  so  much  as  a  lock 
of  your  wool  above  the  combings  of  the  hatch, 
I'll  chuck  you  over  for  the  catfish." 

A  laughing  response  from  the  black  boy 
showed  just  how  much  he  feared  that  the 
sailor  would  carry  this  threat  into  execution  ; 
but  it  kept  him  below,  and  that  was  what  Jack 
wanted.  As  matters  stood  now,  Julius  could 
account  for  his  absence  from  the  plantation  by 
saying  that  he  bad  got  angry  and  run  away  be- 

24 


370  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

cause  Jack  ordered  him' to  stay  asliore  ;  but  he 
couldn't  say  that  with  any  hope  of  being  be- 
lieved if  any  of  the  settlers  along  the  coast 
saw  him  on  board  the  schooner. 

If  Jack  Gray  had  been  so  disposed,  he  could 
have  taken  tlie  Fairy  Belle  into  Pamlico  Sound 
without  showing  her  to  the  Plymouth  people 
at  all,  for  a  small  stream,  called  Middle  Kiver, 
and  its  tributaries,  ran  entirely  around  the  city 
behind  it,  and  out  of  sight  of  the  fortifications 
that  the  Confederates  had  thrown  up  on  the 
banks  of  the  Roanoke.  Starting  from  Pamlico 
River  below  Roanoke  Island,  a  small  boat, 
manned  by  those  who  were  acquainted  with 
the  Avindings  of  the  different  channels,  could 
come  up  through  Middle  River  and  Seven 
Mile  Creek,  passing  within  a  few  hundred 
yards  of  Captain  Beardsley's  house  and  Mrs. 
Gray's,  and  strike  the  Roanoke  two  miles  above 
Plymouth.  Please  bear  this  in  mind,  for  it  is 
possible  that  we  may  have  to  speak  of  two  ex- 
peditions that  made  use  of  these  rear  water- 
ways to  avoid  the  Confederate  batteries.  But 
there  was  no  danger  to  be  apprehended  from 
the  Plymouth  people.     The  danger  would  come 


OFF  FOR  THE  FLEET.  371 

when  the  schooner  passed  outside  and  drew 
near  to  the  blockading  fleet ;  and  that  was  the 
reason  Jack  had  thought  it  best  to  disguise 
her. 

The  breeze  being  light  and  the  channel 
crooked,  it  took  the  schooner  an  hour  or  more 
to  work  out  of  the  creek  under  her  jib,  but 
when  the  rapid  current  of  the  Roanoke  took 
her  in  its  grasp,  and  the  fore  and  main  sails 
were  run  up,  she  sped  along  at  a  much  livelier 
rate.  As  the  Fairy  Belle  approached  the  town 
the  roar  of  the  morning  gun  reverberated  along 
the  river's  wooded  shores,  and  the  Confederate 
colors  were  run  up  to  the  top  of  a  tall  flag- 
staff. 

*'  Now  comes  something  I  don't  at  all  like," 
said  Jack.  ''We  will  run  our  own  rebel  rag 
up  to  the  peak,  and  when  we  come  abreast  of 
the  town  we'll  salute  the  colors  on  shore." 

"How  do  you  perform  that  ceremony  any- 
how?" asked  Marcy. 

"By  lowering  and  hoisting  the  flag  three 
times  in  quick  succession,"  replied  Jack.  "It 
takes  two  to  do  it  as  it  ought  to  be  done,  but 
of  course  you  can' t  manage  the  halliards  with 


372  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


only  one  hand.  All  I  ask  of  you  is  to  hold 
the  wheel.  I  don't  suppose  those  haymakers 
in  the  fort  will  have  the  sense  to  answer  the 
salute,  but  we  don't  care  for  that.  It  may 
save  us  the  trouble  of  going  ashore  to  listen  to 
questions  that  we  can't  answer  with  anything 
but  lies." 

The  first  gray-coated  sentry  they  passed 
looked  at  them  doubtfully,  as  though  he  did 
not  know  whether  it  was  best  to  halt  them  or 
not,  but  probablj^  the  sight  of  the  flag  they 
carried  settled  the  matter  for  him.  At  any 
rate  he  did  not  challenge  them,  and  neither 
did  any  of  the  other  sentinels  they  saw  along 
the"  bank;  but  one  of  the  numerous  little 
groups  which  had  assembled,  as  if  by  magic,  to 
see  them  go  by,  hailed  them  with  the  inquiry  : 

''  Where  do  you  uns  think  you  are  going  ?  " 

*'We  hope  to  see  Newbern  some  day  or 
other,"  was  Jack's  reply.  "Now  stand  by 
the  wheel,  Marcy,  and  I  will  see  what  I  can  do 
with  the  halliards." 

The  ceremony  of  saluting  the  Confederate 
flag  was  duly  performed,  but,  as  Jack  had  pre- 
dicted, no  notice  was  taken  of  the  courtesy. 


OFF   FOR  THE   FLEET.  373 

The  soldiers  looked  on  in  silence,  and  probably 
there  was  not  one  among  them  who  knew  why 
the  Fairy  Belle's  colors  were  hauled  down 
and  up  again  so  many  times ;  but  when  Jack 
made  the  halliards  fast  to  the  cleat  and  took 
his  brother's  place  at  the  wheel,  the  same 
voice  called  out : 

"Will  you  uns  bring  us  some  late  papers 
when  you  come  back  ? ' ' 

The  sailor  replied  that  he  would  think  about 
it,  and  then  he  said  to  Marcy  : 

"You  want  to  have  your  wits  about  you 
when  you  pass  this  place  on  your  way  home. 
If  they  hail  you  and  ask  where  your  partner 
is,  you  can  tell  them  that  I  am  in  the  navy. 
If  they  inquire  where  Julius  was  that  they 
didn't  see  him  when  we  went  down,  he  was 
below  attending  to  his  duties  ;  and  if  they  ask 
about  the  papers,  you  were  so  busy  that  you 
couldn't  get  them." 

The  next  place  where  Jack  wanted  to  show 
his  captured  flag  was  in  Croatan  Sound.  The 
Confederate  force  which  had  been  mustered  to 
defend  these  waters,  having  been  compelled  to 
abandon,  one  after  the  other,  all  the  forts  they 


374  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

had  erected  to  defend  the  various  inlets  lead- 
ing to  the  open  sea,  were  concentrating  on 
Roanoke  Island,  which  they  were  preparing  to 
hold  at  all  risks.  They  were  building  forts, 
fitting  out  gunboats,  and  sinking  obstructions 
in  the  channels.  Everything  was  well  under 
way  when  the  boys  went  through,  their  cap- 
tured banner  serving  as  a  passport  here  as  it 
had  done  at  Plymouth.  They  took  the  deepest 
interest  in  all  they  saw,  little  dreaming  that 
the  day  would  come  when  the  big  guns,  which 
now  offered  no  objection  to  their  progress, 
would  pour  a  hot  fire  of  shot  and  shell  upon 
both  of  them.  Sailor  Jack  would  have  been 
delighted  if  some  one  in  whom  he  had  perfect 
confidence  had  assured  him  that  such  would 
be  the  case,  but  Marcy  would  have  been  over- 
whelmed with  astonishment. 

"  This  island  is  already  historic,"  said  Jack, 
as  the  little  schooner  dashed  by  the  unfinished 
walls  of  Fort  Bartow,  and  he  waved  his  hat  in 
response  to  a  similar  salute  from  one  of  the 
working  party  on  shore,  "and  it'll  not  be 
many  weeks  before  it  will  be  more  so." 

"What  has  ever  happened  here  to  give  this 


OFF  FOR  THE   FLEET.  375 

lonely  island  a  X3lace  in  history?"  inquired 
Marcy. 

"I  am  surprised  at  you,"  answered  Jack. 
*'Here  you  are,  a  North  Carolina  boy  born 
and  bred,  and  you  don't  know  the  history  of 
your  own  State.  Well,  I  didn't  know  it, 
either,  until  I  hapi3ened  to  x)ick  up  an  old 
magazine,  thousands  of  miles  from  home,  and 
read  something  about  it — not  because  I  cared  a 
snap  for  history,  which  is  awful  dry  stuff  to 
me,  but  because  I  had  nothing  else  to  do  just 
then.  Of  course  you  know  that  many  of  the 
Croatan  Indians,  who  have  gray  eyes  and  speak 
the  English  language  of  three  hundred  years 
ago,  claim  to  be  descendants  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh's  lost  colony,  don't  you?  Wei],  that 
colony  was  planted  here  in  1585  on  the  shores 
of  Shallow  Bag  Bay,  which  lies  on  the  seaward 
side,  and  a  little  to  the  northeast  of  the  fort 
we  just  passed.  They  Avere  the  forerunners  of 
the  English-speaking  millions  now  on  this  side 
of  the  big  iDond.  Here,  on  the  18th  of  August, 
1587,  Virginia  Dare,  the  first  white  American, 
was  born.  The  county  of  which  this  island 
forms  a  part    was  named  after  her  family. 


376  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNISrEK. 


J 


'Now  tell  Julius  to  bring  up  some  supper,  and 
while  we  are  eating  it  we'll  take  a  slant  over 
toward  the  main  shore.  There  may  be  some 
sailor  men  among  those  soldiers  for  all  we 
know,  and,  if  they  are  watching  our  move- 
ments, we  want  to  make  them  believe  that  we 
are  holding  a  course  for  the  lower  end  of  the 
Sound,  and  that  we  have  no  intention  of  going 
near  any  of  the  inlets." 

Up  to  this  time  Julius  had  kept  below  out  of 
sight ;  but  his  forced  inactivity  did  not  wear 
very  heavily  upon  him,  for  he  had  been  asleep 
all  the  while.  He  was  prompt  to  respond  to 
Marcy's  call,  and  took  Jack's  place  at  the 
wheel  while  the  two  boys  were  eating  the  cold 
supper  he  brought  up  for  them.  It  was  quite 
safe  for  him  to  stay  on  deck  now,  for  it  was 
almost  dark,  and  besides  it  was  not  likely  that 
he  would  be  seen  by  any  one  on  shore  who  knew 
him.  When  he  had  satisfied  his  appetite  Jack 
hauled  down  the  Confederate  colors  and  asked 
his  brother  where  he  should  hide  them. 

''It  looks  to  me  like  a  dangerous  piece  of 
business  for  you  to  hide  them  anywhere,"  re- 
plied Marcy,  who  had  been  thinking  the  mat- 


OFF   FOR  THE  FLEET.  377 

ter  over.  '^It  looks  sneaking,  too.  We  are 
all  right  and  we  know  it.  We  are  never  going 
to  get  througli  Crooked  Inlet  without  meeting 
that  steam  launch  or  another  one  like  her,  and 
if  the  officer  in  command  shouldn'  t  be  satisfied 
with  your  story  or  with  your  papers  either,  and 
should  take  it  into  his  head  to  give  the  Fairy 
Belle  a  thorough  overhauling,  then  what  ?  If 
he  found  that  flag  stowed  away  in  some  secret 
place,  he'd  make  prisoners  of  us,  sure  pop." 

''If  I  didn't  think  it  would  be  of  use  to 
you  when  you  come  back  I  would  tie  a  weight 
to  it  and  chuck  it  overboard,"  said  Jack. 
"On  the  whole  I  think  we'd  better  not  try  to 
hide  it.  The  honest  way  is  the  best  where 
Yankees  are  concerned.  I'll  put  it  in  the 
locker  alongside  our  own  flag." 

It  was  about  twenty-five  miles  across  the 
Sound  to  Crooked  Inlet,  and  the  schooner  cov- 
ered this  distance  in  four  hours.  Of  course 
Captain  Beardsley's  buoys  had  been  lifted  and 
carried  away  long  before  this  time,  and  the 
only  safe  way  to  take  the  vessel  into  open 
water  was  to  pull  her  througli  with  the  skiff 
which  was  towing  astern.    Although  that  would 


378  MAKCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

involve  three  or  four  hours  of  hard  work,  it 
was  not  a  thing  to  be  dreaded  ;  but  the  thought 
of  what  they  might  meet  before  or  after  they 
got  through,  almost  made  Marcy's  hair  stand 
on  end. 

The  night  being  clear  and  starlight,  Marcy 
had  no  trouble  in  piloting  the  Fairy  Belle  into 
the  mouth  of  the  Inlet.  Then  the  sails  were 
hauled  down,  the  skiff  was  pulled  alongside, 
and  a  tow-line  got  out. 

^'Now,  Julius,"  said  Jack  impressively, 
"stand  by  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf.  Quit  lying 
and  tell  the  honest  truth." 

"Now,  Marse  Jack,"  protested  Julius. 

"  I  know  what  you  want  to  say,"  interrupted 
the  sailor,  "but  we  have  no  time  for  nonsense. 
I  don't  care  what  sort  of  lies  you  tell  those 
rebels  round  home,  but  nothing  but  the  truth 
Avill  answer  our  purpose  here.  We've  got  to 
go  aboard  some  ship — we  can't  get  out  of  that ; 
and  while  the  captain  is  questioning  Marcy  and 
me,  some  other  officer  may  be  questioning  you. 
If  your  story  doesn't  agree  with  ours  in  every 
particular,  all  of  us  will  find  ourselves  in 
trouble.     Tell   them   who  we  are,    where  we 


OFF  FOR  THE  FLEET.  379 

came  from,  why  we  are  here,  and  all  about 
it." 

"But,  Marse  Jack,"  said  the  darkey,  who 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  something  until  this 
moment,  "  I  diinno  if  I  want  to  go  'mong  dem 
Yankees.  I  don't  want  to  see  no  horns  an' 
huffs." 

"It's  too  late  to  think  of  that  now,"  replied 
the  sailor.  "Bat  I  will  tell  you  this  for  your 
encouragement :  You  won't  see  any  horns  and 
hoofs  if  you  do  just  as  you  are  told.  But  if 
you  begin  lying,  you'Jl  see  and  hear  some 
things  that  will  make  your  eyes  bung  out  as 
big  as  my  fist.  Crawl  over,  Marcy,  and  I  will 
hand  you  the  boat-hook." 

Marcy  clambered  into  the  skiff  followed  by 
Julius,  Jack  lingering  behind  long  enough  to 
lash  the  rudder  amidships.  Then  he  also  took 
his  place  in  the  tender  and  picked  up  one  of 
the  oars,  Julius  took  the  other,  Marcy  knelt  in 
the  bow  to  feel  for  the  channel  with  his  boat- 
hook,  and  the  work  of  towing  the  schooner 
through  the  Inlet  was  begun.  There  was  not  a 
buoy  in  sight,  and  when  he  removed  them  the 
officer  whose  business  it  was  to  guard  that  par- 


380  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

ticular  part  of  tlie  coast  must  liave  thought  he 
had  done  his  full  duty,  for  the  active  little 
launch  that  Marcy  so  much  dreaded  did  not 
put  in  her  appearance.  They  passed  through 
the  Inlet  without  running  the  Fairy  Belle 
aground  or  seeing  anything  alarming ;  and  it 
was  not  until  the  broad  Atlantic  opened  before 
them  that  the  long-expected  hail  came. 

"Not  a  thing  in  sight,"  said  Jack,  with 
some  disappointment  in  his  tones.  '*I  was  in 
hopes  we  could  get  through  with  our  business 
so  that  you  could  return  to  the  Sound  before 
daylight,  but  perhaps  it  is  just  as  well  as  it  is. 
You  want  to  keep  away  from  those  soldiers 
long  enough  to  make  them  believe  that  you 
have  been  to  Newbern.  Haul  the  skiff  along- 
side, and  we'll  fill  away  for  Hatteras." 

''Jack,  Jack!"  exclaimed  Marcy  suddenly, 
"  there  comes  something." 

Looking  in  the  direction  indicated  by  his 
brother's  finger,  the  experienced  sailor  dis- 
tinctly made  out  the  white  canvas  of  a  natty 
little  schooner  that  was  holding  in  for  the  Inlet. 
It  was  the  most  unwelcome  sight  he  had  seen 
for  many  a  day. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

AN    UNEXPECTED   MEETING. 

*' "TXT  HAT  is  she,  Jack  ?  "  said  Marcy,  in  a 
V  V  suppressed  whisper.  "  Do  you  make 
her  out?" 

His  voice  was  husky,  and  he  trembled  as  he 
asked  the  question,  for  he  Ivnew  by  the  excla- 
mation that  fell  from  his  brother's  lips  that 
those  white  sails  were  things  he  did  not  like 
to  see. 

"  I  make  her  out  easy  enough,  in  spite  of  her 
disguise,"  was  Sailor  Jack's  reply.  "And  I 
would  rather  meet  all  the  gunboats  in  Uncle 
Sam's  navy  than  her." 

"  Disguise !  "  Marcy  almost  gasped.  "  You 
surely  don' t  think ' ' 

"  No,  I  don't  think  anything  about  it,"  Jack 
interposed.  "I  know  that  that  is  Captain 
Beardsley'  s  schooner.  I  wish  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart  that  she  had  been  sunk  or  captured 
before  she  ever  caught  us  here ;  but  it  is  too 

381 


382  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

late  to  get  away  from  her.  She  will  go  by 
within  less  than  twenty  yards  of  us." 

'^  And  do  you  think  Beardsley  will  know  the 
Fairy  Belle  in  her  new  dress  ? "  asked  Marcy, 
who  had  never  before  been  so  badly  fright- 
ened. 

''  Being  an  old  sailor  he  can't  help  it." 

''  Of  course  he  will  mistrust  what  brought  us 
out  here,  and  spread  it  all  through  the  settle- 
ment," added  Marcy. 

"That  is  just  what  he  will  do,"  said  Jack 
truthfully. 

"And  what  will  Shelby  and  Dillon  and  the 
rest  of  them  do  to  us — to  mother?" 

"  You  must  make  it  your  business  to  see 
Aleck  Webster  as  soon  as  you  get  home,"  re- 
plied Jack.  "Tell  him  that  Beardsley  has 
returned,  that  he  caught  us  out  here,  and  that 
the  time  has  come  for  him  and  his  friends  to 
show  their  hands.  I  think  you  will  have  time 
to  see  Aleck  before  Beardsley  gets  home,  be- 
cause he's  got  to  go  to  Newbern  with  his 
cargo."  f 

All  this  while  Captain  Beardsley' s  blockade- 
runner  had  been  swiftly  drawing  near  to  the 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  383 

mouth  of  the  Inlet,  where  the  Fairy  Belle  lay 
rising  and  falling  with  the  waves,  and  now  she 
dashed  by  within  less  than  a  stone's  throw  of 
them.  The  boys,  who  were  standing  up  in 
their  skiff  holding  fast  to  the  Fairy  Belle' s 
rail,  could  not  see  a  man  on  her  deck  except 
the  lookout  in  the  bow  and  the  sailor  at  the 
wheel.  The  lookout  was  Beardsley  himself  ; 
Marcy  and  his  brother  would  have  recognized 
his  tall  form  and  broad  shoulders  anywhere. 
He  kept  his  eyes  fastened  upon  the  Fairy 
Belle  as  he  swept  by,  but  he  did  not  say  a  word 
or  change  his  course  by  so  much  as  an  inch.  In 
five  minutes  more  he  was  out  of  sight. 

"  Now  will  somebody  tell  me  what  that  old 
villain  wants  of  a  pilot?"  exclaimed  sailor 
Jack,  as  he  climbed  over  the  rail  and  turned 
about  to  help  Marcy  up.  "He  knows  more 
about  Crooked  Inlet  than  you  do,  or  he  couldn't 
run  it  with  all  his  muslin  spread  and  no  buoj^s 
to  mark  the  channel." 

"  I  always  said  he  didn't  need  a  pilot,"  re- 
plied Marcy.  "  He  has  kejjt  me  with  him  on 
purpose  to  torment  mother." 

''He'll   not  do  it  any  longer,"    said  Jack 


384  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 


J 


confidently.  "  You  must  send  word  to  those 
Union  men  as  soon  as  you  get  home.  If  you 
don't,  Beardsley  will  make  it  so  very  hot  for 
you  that  by  the  time  the  fire  gets  through 
burning  mother  won't  have  a  roof  to  go  under 
when  it  rains.     Stand  by,  Julius." 

Jack  and  the  darkey  went  forward  to  hoist 
the  headsails,  and  Marcy,  filled  with  the  most 
gloomy  forebodings,  undid  the  fastenings  of 
the  wheel  and  laid  his  uninjured  hand  ujDon 
one  of  the  spokes.  One  after  the  other  the 
sails  were  given  to  the  breeze,  lights  were 
put  out  to  show  the  first  cruiser  they  met 
that  they  were  honest  folks  going  about 
honest  business,  and  Jack  came  aft  to  relieve 
his  brother. 

*'  I  have  been  thinking  of  Barrington,"  said 
the  latter,  as  he  backed  away  and  leaned  up 
against  the  rail.  '^  It  has  somehow  run  in  my 
mind  that  our  little  settlement  would  escape 
the  horrors  of  war,  but  the  events  of  the  last 
half  hour  have  0]3ened  my  eyes.  We're  going 
to  see  trouble." 

"  I  really  believe  you  are,"  answered  Jack. 
''And  when  it  comes,  you  must  show  what 


AN    UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  385 

you  are  made  of.  I  have  no  fear  but  that  you 
will  stand  up  to  the  rack  like  a  man." 

''  It  isn't  myself  I  care  for  ;  it's  mother." 

''I  know;  but  when  it  comes  to  the  jjinch 
you  will  find  that  she's  got  more  pluck  than 
you  have.  That  money  is  what  scares  me.  If 
the  suspicions  of  the  authorities  become 
aroused,  look  out.  But  don't  lisp  a  word  of 
that  where  mother  can  hear  it." 

"Oh,  Marse  Jack,"  exclaimed  Julius,  who 
just  then  came  aft  in  two  jumx)s,  "  de  Yankees 
out  da'." 

"Out  where  ? ' '  inquired  Jack,  Avhile  Marcy'  s 
heart  began  beating  like  a  trix3-hammer.  "  Oh, 
yes  ;  I  see  them  now.  Stand  by  with  a  lantern, 
Julius." 

The  darkey  hastened  forward  to  obey  the 
order,  muttering  as  he  went  that  Marse  Marcy 
would  have  to  take  de  light  kase  he  w^asn't  go- 
ing nigh  dem  Yankees  till  he  seed  'em  fust,  and 
the  schooner  held  on  her  course.  What  the 
boys  saw  was  a  bright  light  shining  through 
the  darkness  a  short  distance  off  the  starboard 
bow,  and  what  they  heard  a  moment  later  was 
the  puffing  of  a  small  but  exceedingly  active 

25 


386  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

steam  engine.  The  light  presently  disappeared 
but  the  puffing  continued,  increasing  in  force 
and  frequency  as  the  approaching  launch  gath- 
ered headway,  and  then  came  the  hail : 

''Schooner  ahoy!"  And  almost  in  the 
same  breath  the  same  voice  added  :  "  All 
ready  with  that  howitzer." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  answered  Jack  prom^Dtly  ; 
and  anticipating  the  next  command  he  gave 
the  wheel  a  rapid  turn  and  spilled  the  sails, 
while  Marcy  took  the  lantern  Julius  gave  him 
and  held  it  over  the  side. 

In  five  minutes  more  a  large  launch,  carrying 
a  crew  of  twenty  men  and  a  twelve-pound 
howitzer  in  the  bow,  came  alongside,  half  a 
dozen  pairs  of  brawny  hands  laid  hold  of  the 
Fairy  Belle' s  rail,  and  an  officer,  dressed  in 
an  ensign's  uniform,  came  over  the  side,  being 
immediately  followed  by  four  or  five  blue- 
jackets, armed  with  cutlasses.  What  sort  of 
a  reception  they  ex]3ected  to  meet  at  the  hands 
of  the  Fairy  Belle's  crew  it  is  hard  to  tell, 
but  they  were  i^lainly  surprised  when  they 
looked  about  her  deck  and  found  that  there 
was  no  one  there  to  oppose  them. 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  887 

''Who  are  you?"  demanded  the  officer,  as 
Jack  slipi3ed  a  becket  over  one  of  the  spokes 
in  the  wheel  and  came  forward  to  meet  him. 
"What  schooner  is  this  and  where  are  you 
going? " 

"  This  schooner  is  the  Fairy  Belle^  and  she 
is  tlie  iDroperty  of  my  brother,"  answered  Jack, 
waving  his  hand  in  Marcy's  direction.  "  We 
are  going  to  the  blocl^ading  fleet.  And  as  to 
wlio  I  am — will  you  be  kind  enough  to  run 
your  eye  over  these  ?  They  will  answer  the 
question  for  you." 

As  Jack  said  this,  he  placed  his  papers  in  the 
officer's  hand,  Avhile  Marcy  held  u^)  the  lantern 
so  that  he  could  see  to  read  them.  He  was  by 
no  means  so  surprised  as  Marcy  expected  him 
to  be,  and  the  reason  was  simple  enough. 
Since  the  forts  at  Hatteras  Inlet  were  captured, 
scarcely  a  day  passed  that  some  vessel  of  the 
blockading  fleet  did  not  hold  communication 
with  Union  i^eople  on  shore.  There  was  more 
love  for  the  old  flag  in  that  secession  country 
than  most  of  us  dreamed  of.  If  Marcy  Gray 
had  known  this  he  would  not  have  felt  as  un- 
easy as  he  did. 


388  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

*'  I  have  been  on  the  watch  for  an  audacious 
little  blockade- runner  that  slipped  by  one  of 
our  boats  into  this  Inlet  a  few  weeks  ago," 
said  the  officer,  as  he  folded  the  papers  and 
handed  them  back  to  their  owner.  ''You're 
quite  sure  you're  not  the  fellow  ? " 

"Do  I  answer  his  description?"  asked 
Jack,  in  reply. 

*' Well,  no  ;  I  can't  say  that  you  do.  But 
it  is  very  easy  to  disguise  a  vessel  of  this  size." 

''And  it  is  just  as  easy  for  you  to  look 
around  and  see  if  I  have  any  place  to  stow 
a  cargo,"  said  Jack.  "Come  below,  if  you 
please." 

Taking  the  lantern  from  his  brother's  hand 
Jack  led  the  way  through  the  standing-room 
into  the  Fairy  Belle' s  cabin,  wliere  he  stoj)ped 
to  throw  back  the  cushioned  top  of  one  of  the 
lockers. 

"Here's  the  flag  I  have  sailed  under  ever 
since  I  was  old  enough  to  shin  aloft,"  said  he, 
taking  up  the  carefully  folded  Union  banner. 
"The  other  is  the  one  Semmes's  boarding 
officer  hoisted  on  the  Sabine  when  she  was 
captured.     When  we  took  her  out  of  the  hands 


AN   UXEXPECTED   MEETING.  389 

of  the  i3rize  crew  I  hauled  it  down  and  kept  it. 
It  brought  us  safely  by  Plymouth  and 
Roanoke  Island,  and  I  hope  it  will  take  my 
brother  safely  back." 

With  this  introduction  Jack  went  on  to  give 
the  officer  a  hasty  descrij)tion  of  the  state  of 
affairs  in  and  around  the  settlement  in  which 
his  mother  lived,  and  told  Avhat  the  Con- 
federates were  doing  at  Roanoke  Island  ;  and 
all  the  while  he  was  leading  the  officer  from 
one  room  to  another  and  showing  him  all  there 
was  to  be  seen  on  the  Fairy  Belle.  But  he 
did  not  say  a  word  about  tlie  Hattie.  The 
officer  did  not  know  that  that  "  audacious  little 
blockade-runner"  had  slii3X)ed  through  his 
lingers,  and  Jack  thought  it  would  be  the  part 
of  wisdom  to  steer  clear  of  the  subject  of 
blockade-runners  if  he  could.  A  reference  to 
them  might  lead  to  some  questions  that  he 
would  not  care  to  answer. 

"I  am  entirely  satisfied  with  your  story," 
said  the  officer,  when  they  returned  to  the 
deck.  "Bat,  all  the  same,  I  shall  have  to 
send  you  to  my  commander.  I  have  no 
authority  to  act  in  a  case  like  this." 


390  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

''Very  good,  sir,"  replied  Jacl^.  "We  are 
quite  willing  to  go.  Do  I  understand  that  you 
take  the  schooner  cut  of  our  hands  ?  " 

'^  By  no  means,'-  was  the  x)rompt  rej)ly.  ''  I 
will  put  a  petty  officer  aboard  of  you  to  act  as 
your  pilot,  and  you  can  run  the  vessel  down 
yourselves.  I  must  stay  about  here  till  day- 
light and  look  out  for  that  blockade-runner. 
Bo' son's  mate  !  " 

The  petty  officer  stepped  forward  and 
received  some  brief  instructions  from  his 
superior,  which  were  given  in  Jack's  hearing. 

"  These  are  Union  bovs,  and  one  of  them  has 
come  out  here  to  ship,"  said  the  officer.  "I 
want  you  to  pilot  him  to  the  Harriet  Lane. 
You  are  not  to  interfere  wdtli  the  management 
of  the  schooner  in  any  way,  for  she  is  not  a 
prize.  She  sails  under  our  flag.  Tell  the  cap- 
tain the  same  story  you  have  told  me,"  he 
added,  turning  to  Jack,  "and  I  think  it  will 
be  all  right.     Good-bye." 

With  these  parting  words  the  officer  and  his 
boarding  party  clambered  down  into  the 
launch,  which  ^Vit  off  to  resume  her  useless 
vigil  at  the  mouth  of  the  Inlet ;  the  boatswain's 


A^   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  391 

mate,  at  Jack's  request,  took  his  place  at  the 
wheel,  and  the  Fairy  Belle  filled  away  on  her 
course. 

"All  right  so  far,"  said  Marcy,  who  breathed 
a  great  deal  easier  now  than  he  did  when  the 
launch  first  hove  in  sight.  "  If  the  captain  of 
the  Harriet  Lane  treats  us  as  well  as  that 
ensign  did,  I  shall  be  glad  I  came  out  here." 

"He  Avill,  sir,"  said  the  boatswain's  mate, 
letting  go  of  the  wheel  with  one  hand  long 
enough  to  raise  his  forefinger  to  his  cap. 
"He  always  does.  We  have  often  had  shore 
boats,  come  off  to  us  since  we  have  been  on  the 
blockade." 

* '  You  have  ! ' '  exclaimed  Marcy,  who  was 
very  much  surprised.  "And  do  you  let  them 
go  ashore  again  when  they  get  ready?" 

"Cert'ny,  sir.  They  come  and  go  betwixt 
two  days — not  because  they  are  afraid  of  us, 
but  because  they  must  look  out  that  the  rebels 
ashore  don't  hear  of  it.  Some  of  the  boats  get 
news  from  Newbern  every  day  or  so." 

"We  know  that,"  answered  Jack.  "And 
we  heard  a  rebel  say,  not  long  ago,  that  if  the 
Newbern  people  could  find  out  who  it  is  that 


392  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

sends  off  the  papers  so  regularly  they  woukl 
make  short  work  of  him.  How  much  farther 
have  we  to  go  ?  " 

"Not  more  than  ten  miles,  sir.  We'll  see 
our  lights  directly." 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  this  little 
blockade-runner  that  your  launch  is  watching 
for  ? ' '  inquired  Marcy.  ' '  Who  is  she  ?  What' s 
her  name  and  where  does  she  hail  from? " 

"We  know  all  about  her,  sir,  for  we  chased 
her  once  when  she  was  the  privateer  Osprey. 
She  belongs  ux3  Roanoke  Kiver,  but  she  runs 
the  blockade  out  of  Newbern.  Her  captain — 
what's  this  his  name  is  again? — Beardsley, 
used  to  be  a  smuggler ;  and  if  we  get  our 
hands  on  him  we'll  be  likely  to  remember  him 
for  that.  Our  Uncle  Sam  ain't  so  broke  up 
yet  but  what  he  can  deal  with  men  who  have 
violated  his  laws." 

"I  hope  to  goodness  you  may  get  your  hands 
upon  him,"  thought  Marcy,  who  was  surprised 
at  the  extent  and  accuracy  of  the  blue- jacket's 
information.  It  proved  beyond  a  doubt  that 
there  were  Union  men  ashore  avIio  kei)t  the 
Yankee  commanders  posted,  and  Marcy  wished 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  393 

lie  knew  who  they  were.  He  might  find  it 
convenient  to  appeal  to  them  if  he  and  his 
mother  got  into  trouble  with  Captain  Beard- 
sley. 

The  strong  breeze  being  in  her  favor,  the 
Fairy  Belle  made  good  speed  along  the  coast, 
and  in  due  time  the  warning  lights  of  the 
Union  war  vessel  showed  themselves  through 
the  darkness.  It  was  not  customary  for  the 
Union  cruisers  to  show  lights  and  thus  point 
out  their  position  to  vessels  that  might  ap- 
proach the  coast  with  the  intention  of  running 
the  blockade,  but  being  anchored  off  an  inlet 
that  was  known  to  be  in  full  jDossession  of  our 
forces,  the  cajitain  of  the  Harriet  Lane  knew 
that  no  such  vessels  would  come  near  him. 
While  the  blue-jacket  was  explaining  this  to 
the  boys,  a  hoarse  voice  came  from  the  gun- 
boat's  deck. 

"Schooner  ahoy  1"  it  roared. 

"No,  no!"  replied  the  man  at  the  Fairy 
Belle' s  wheel. 

"  That's  a  little  the  queerest  answer  to  a  hail 
/ever  heard,"  was  Jack's  comment. 

"Be  ready  to  stand  by  the  sheets  fore  and 


394  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

aft,  for  we  must  round  to  under  her  stern  and 
come  up  on  her  port  side,"  said  the  boat- 
swain's mate.  ^'  Tlie  answer  was  all  right,  sir, 
and  in  strict  accordance  with  naval  rules.  Had 
I  been  a  captain,  I  should  have  given  the  name 
of  my  ship.  Had  I  been  a  wardroom  officer,  I 
should  have  answered,  'Ay,  ayl'  But  being 
neither  one  nor  the  other,  I  gave  the  same  re- 
ply that  the  steerage  officers  have  to  give." 

''And  what  answer  would  you  have  given  if 
the  admiral  was  aboard  of  us?"  inquired 
Jack. 

"I  should  have  said  'Flag,'  sir.  You  give 
different  replies  for  different  ranks  so  that  the 
officer  of  the  deck  may  know  how  to  receive 
the  people  that  are  coming  aboard.  It  would 
make  him  awful  mad  if  you  gave  such  an 
answer  that  he  would  extend  wardroom  honors 
to  a  steerage  officer.  Now,  stand  by  to  slack 
away  and  haul  in." 

Five  minutes'  skilful  manoeuvring  sufficed  to 
bring  the  schooner  around  the  stern  of  the 
gunboat  and  up  to  an  open  gangway,  in  which 
stood  the  officer  of  the  deck  and  one  of  the 
ship's  boys,  who  held  a  lighted  lantern  in  his 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  395 

hand.      To  the  former   the  boatswain's  mate 
reported : 

"A  shore  boat,  sir,  with  a  couple  of  Union 
bo^^s  aboard.  Mr.  Colson  sent  me  down  here 
w^ith  her.  One  of  'em  wants  to  ship,  sir. 
He's  got  papers." 

"  Let  them  come  aboard,"  said  the  officer. 

''  It  was  easy  enough  for  Jack  to  obey  the 
order,  for  the  gangw^ay  was  low  ;  but  Marcy, 
having  but  one  hand  to  work  with,  required  a 
good  deal  of  assistance.  As  there  was  consid- 
erable swell  on,  Julius  and  the  boatswain's 
mate  remained  on  board  the  schooner  to  fend 
her  off  with  the  aid  of  boat-hooks. 

"I  have  come  off  to  shi^)  under  the  old  flag, 
sir,"  was  the  way  in  which  Jack  introduced 
himself  and  his  business. 

"Are  you  an  able  seaman?"  inquired  the 
officer. 

"  I  am,  sir,  and  there  is  the  proof." 

Jack  produced  his  papers,  and  the  officer 
of  the  deck  read  them  by  the  light  of  the  lan- 
tern, Marcy  improving  the  opportunity  to 
make  a  hasty  inspection  of  his  surroundings. 
He  didn't  see  much  except  the  big  guns  which 


396  MAECY,  THE  BLOCK ADE-KUNNER. 

had  aided  in  the  reduction  of  the  forts  along 
the  coast,  the  quartermaster  on  the  bridge,  and 
a  few  men  lying  on  deck,  apparently  fast 
asleej),  but  he  took  note  of  the  fact  that  every- 
thing was  as  neat  as  his  mother's  kitchen.  By 
the  time  he  had  made  these  observations  the 
officer  had  finished  reading  Jack's  letters  of 
recommendation.  When  he  handed  them 
back,  all  he  had  to  say  was : 

"So  you  have  had  some  experience  with 
that  i3irate,  Semmes,  have  you  ?  I  wish  we 
had  been  around  there  about  the  time  he  cap- 
tured your  vessel.  We  will  attend  to  your 
case  in  the  morning.  The  doctor  and  pay- 
master are  asleep,  and  it  isn't  worth  while  to 
rout  them  out  just  to  ship  one  man." 

"  It  will  not  be  necessary  for  my  brother  to  lie 
alongside  all  night,  will  it,  sir  ?  " 

"Oh,  no.  Boatswain's  mate,  you  go  back 
and  report  to  Mr.  Col  son." 

"Very  good,  sir,"  replied  the  petty  officer, 
with  his  linger  to  his  cap. 

"May  I  make  bold  to  inquire  if  you  have 
any  papers  aboard  that  you  can  spare?"  con- 
tinued Jack,  who  would  not  have  thought  of 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  397 

asking  sucli  a  question  if  lie  had  had  a  blue 
shirt  on  and  been  sworn  into  the  service. 
*'  We'd  like  some  Northern  pajDers,  if  you  have 
them,  for  as  we  are  situated  we  get  the  news 
from  only  one  side." 

In  response  to  this  request  the  messenger 
boy  was  commanded  to  run  down  to  the  ward- 
room and  bring  up  any  23ax)ers  he  might  find 
on  the  table  there,  and  while  awaiting  his  re- 
turn Jack  turned  to  say  a  parting  word  to  his 
brother. 

^'Now  Marcy,"  said  he,  "you've  got  to  look 
out  for  yourself — and  for  mother.  K'ot  know- 
ing wdiat  dangers  you  are  likely  to  meet,  I 
can' t  give  you  a  word  of  advice  ;  you  will  have 
to  be  on  the  alert  and  act  according  to  circum- 
stances. See  Aleck  Webster  at  the  i^ost-ofRce, 
and  tell  him  to  put  a  stopper  on  those  secret 
enemies  of  ours  the  first  thing  he  does.  You 
have  seen  me  talking  with  him,  and  will  know 
him  the  minute  joii  see  him.  I  shall  trust  you 
to  communicate  with  me  as  often  as  you  can, 
though  I  can't  ask  you  to  write  to  me.  Tell 
mother  you  left  me  well  and  in  good  sx)irits. 
Good-bye." 


398  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

*'  Why,  my  lad,  tilings  must  be  in  a  bad  way 
in  yonr  part  of  the  country,"  said  the  officer  of 
the  deck,  who  had  heard  all  Jack  had  to  say 
to  his  brother. 

''They  are  indeed,  sir,"  answered  the  sailor. 
*'  It  is  easy  enough  for  you  Northern  folks  to 
be  loyal  to  the  old  flag,  but  it  is  as  much  as 
one's  life  is  worth  down  here." 

The  messenger  boy  having  returned  by  this 
time,  Marcy  took  the  papers  he  handed  him, 
gave  Jack's  hand  a  parting  shake,  and  was  as- 
sisted over  the  side. 

''  Shove  her  bow  off,  Snowball,"  commanded 
the  boatswain's  mate,  as  he  moved  aft  to  take 
his  place  at  the  Avheel,  and  let  her  drift 
astern.  "Come  back  here,  sir,  and  sit  down," 
he  added,  in  a  vain  effort  to  cheer  Marcy  up  a 
little.  "He's  a  fine  lad.  Til  warrant,  that 
brother  of  yours." 

"He  is,  indeed,"  replied  Marc}^  proudly. 
"And  a  sailor  man,  too,  I  think  you  will  find." 

He  had  never  before  felt  so  gloomy  and  down- 
hearted as  he  did  at  that  moment,  and  he 
didn'  t  care  to  talk.  Calling  Julius  aft  to  strike 
a  light  for  him,  he  went  into  the  cabin  and  tried 


AN   UNEXPECTED    MEETING.  399 

to  read,  leaving  the  man-of-war's  man  to  sail 
the  schooner,  which  he  was  able  to  do  without 
help  from  anybody.  In  the  bundle  of  papers 
that  the  messenger  boy  gave  him,  Marcy  \vas 
glad  to  find  three  that  were  published  in  New- 
bern.  These  he  kept  out  to  be  read  at  once, 
intending  when  he  passed  Plymouth  to  throw 
them  ashore  for  the  soldiers ;  but  the  Northern 
papers  he  stowed  away  in  one  of  the  lockers 
beside  the  flags.  He  wanted  time  to  read  them 
carefully,  for  he  believed  they  would  tell  him 
the  truth  ;  and  that  was  something  he  had  not 
heard  for  many  a  day.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
he  had  not  been  below  more  than  half  an  hour 
when  he  heard  a  hail,  to  which  the  hoarse 
voice  of  the  man  at  the  wheel  responded.  A 
moment  later  it  added  : 

"On  deck,  if  you  i^lease,  sir.  I've  got  to 
leave  you  now.     My  launch  is  close  aboard." 

She  was  almost  alongside  by  the  time  Marcy 
reached  the  deck,  and  five  minutes  later  the  ofii- 
cer  in  command  of  her  again  came  over  the  rail ; 
but  this  time  he  came  alone.  There  were  no 
blue-jackets  with  drawn  cutlasses  at  his  heels. 

"I  guess  you've  had  luck,"  were  the  first 


400         MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

words  he  said.     "  I  don't  see  the  other  fellow 
anywhere." 

"No,  sir.  We  left  him  aboard  your  vessel," 
replied  Marcy.  "He  will  be  examined  and 
sworn  in  in  the  morning.  By  the  way,  what  did 
the  officer  of  the  deck  mean  when  he  said  that 
the  paymaster  was  asleep  as  well  as  the  doctor  ? 
What  has  the  paymaster  to  do  with  swearing 
him  in  ? " 

"He  or  his  clerk  has  to  take  the  descriptiA^e 
lists,  you  know,  sir,"  replied  the  sailor.  "  Then 
he  gets  an  order  from  the  captain  to  give  the 
men  their  clothes  and  small  stores — tobacco, 
soap,  sewing  silk,  and  the  like,  you  know,  sir. 
I  was  told  to  come  back  and  report  to  you,  Mr. 
Colson." 

"Very  good.  Get  aboard  the  launch.  Can 
you  and  the  moke  get  along  by  yourselves?" 
he  continued,  turning  to  Marcy.  "I  see  you 
have  but  one  hand." 

"Oh,  yes,  sir;  we'll  get  along  all  right," 
answered  Marcy,  who  was  very  much  afraid 
that  the  officer  would  ask  him  how  he  had  got 
hurt.  "Seen  anything  of  that  blockade-run- 
ner since  we  left  ?" 


AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING.  401 

*'I  haven't  seen  a  thing excej)t  this  schooner 
to-night,"  was  the  re]3ly  ;  and  Marcy  judged 
from  the  tone  in  which  the  words  were  uttered 
that  the  officer  was  much  disgusted  at  being 
obliged  to  stay  out  there  all  night  in  an  open 
boat  for  nothing.  No  doubt  he  would  have 
been  still  more  disgusted  to  learn  that  if  he  had 
been  two  miles  farther  up  the  coast  he  would 
have  had  a  chance  of  cax)turing  the  *' auda- 
cious "  little  vessel  that  he  was  looking  for. 

The  officer  wasted  no  words  in  leave-taking, 
but  went  at  once,  and  Marcy  Gray  felt  more 
gloomy  than  ever  when  he  found  himself  alone 
on  the  ocean  Avith  nobody  but  the  boy  Julius 
for  a  companion.  He  sent  the  latter  to  the 
wheel  and  went  forward  to  act  as  lookout  and 
pilot,  intending  to  follow  Captain  Beardsley's 
example  and  run  through  Crooked  Inlet  under 
full  sail.  He  thought  he  could  remember  about 
where  the  buoys  had  been  placed,  and  besides 
he  had  the  flood  tide  to  help  him.  If  he  suc- 
ceeded, he  would  run  across  the  Sound  and 
hunt  up  some  little  bay  in  which  he  could  go 
into  hiding  until  such  time  as  he  thought  it 

safe  to  come  out  and  start  for  home. 
26  ^ 


402         MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

This  i^rogramme  was  duly  carried  out,  and 
the  good  luck  that  had  thus  far  attended  him 
stayed  with  him  to  the  end.  He  piloted  the 
schooner  through  the  Inlet  without  the  least 
trouble,  ran  across  the  Sound  without  being 
seen  by  anybody,  and  put  into  the  mouth  of 
a  little  bayou,  where  he  tied  up  and  turned  in 
for  a  much  needed  rest.  He  remained  there  all 
that  day  and  the  ensuing  night,  and  at  sunrise 
on  the  following  morning  ran  Sailor  Jack's 
Confederate  Hag  up  to  the  Fairy  Belle' s  peak, 
and  stood  boldly  out  for  Roanoke  Island. 


CHAPTER  XYIIL 

CONCLUSION. 

AS  soon  as  the  schooner  was  straightened 
-  on  her  course  so  that  Marcy  could 
manage  her  with  one  hand,  he  came  aft  and 
took  the  wheel. 

"  Go  below  and  hide  that  Union  flag,"  said 
he.  "These  rebels  may  not  be  as  easily  satis- 
fied this  time  as  they  were  when  we  w^ent  down, 
and  if  they  send  a  boat  aboard  of  us  I  don't 
want  them  to  find  anything.  I  don't  care  to 
know  where  you  put  the  flag.  All  you  have  to 
do  is  to  hide  it  where  we  can  find  it  again  when 
we  want  it." 

Julius  w^as  gone  not  more  than  five  minutes, 
and  when  he  returned  to  take  the  wheel  Marcy 
walked  forward,  carrying  in  his  hand  one  of 
the  Newbern  papers  wdiich  he  had  folded  and 
twisted,  newsboy  fashion,  so  that  it  could  be 
thrown  a  considerable  distance. 

403 


404  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

The  first  thing  that  attracted  his  attention, 
after  the  Fairy  Belle  passed  the  foot  of  the 
island,  was  a  steamer,  whose  crew  were  busy 
adding  to  the  obstructions  that  had  already 
been  placed  in  Croatan  Sound.  But  there  was 
a  wide  clear  space  close  under  the  guns  of  Fort 
Bartow,  and  into  this  Julius  held  his  way, 
passing  so  near  the  steamer  that  Marcy  was 
able  to  throw  his  paper  among  the  crew. 

''Newbern,"  he  shouted  to  the  Confederate 
officer,  who  flicked  up  the  paper  and  waved  his 
thanks.  '*  It  isn't  a  very  late  one,  but  it  was 
the  best  I  could  do." 

That  blockade  had  been  run  in  safety,  but 
when  they  reached  the  head  of  the  island 
Marcy  found  himself  menaced  by  another 
danger  which  he  was  afraid  could  not  be  so 
easily  passed.  One  of  Commodore  Lynch' s  gun- 
boats vz-as  lying  there,  and  when  she  saw  the 
schooner  approaching,  she  sent  one  of  her 
boats  off  to  intercept  her.  Marcy' s  hair  began 
to  stand  on  end. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  that  Union  flag, 
Julius  ?"  he  asked. 

''Now,  jes'  listen  at  you,"  replied  the  boy. 


CONCLUSION.  405 

^'Wliat  for  you  want  dat  flag  now?    It  hang 
you,  suah." 

*'I  only  wished  to  be  assured  that  you  had 
it  safe,"  said  Marcy,  as  he  ran  into  the  cabin 
to  bring  u^d  another  paper;  and  when  he  re- 
turned with  it,  he  shook  it  at  the  men  in  the 
boat  and  beckoned  them  to  come  alongside,  Just 
as  if  he  didn't  know  that  that  was  what  they 
intended  to  do.  As  the  small  boat  came 
nearer  and  began  to  swing  broadside  to  the 
schooner,  Marcy  raised  his  hand  and  Julius 
si^illed  the  sails. 

"You  needn't  stop,"  said  the  young  mas- 
ter's mate,  who  sat  in  the  stern-sheets. 
"  Throw  us  a  line  and  we'll  tow  alongside. 
Our  old  man  had  a  little  curiosity  to  know 
who  you  are,  where  you  have  been,  and  where 
you  belong.  Thanks  for  the  paper.  What's 
the  news?" 

"I  didn't  get  any,"  replied  Marcy.  "  I  saw 
one  Yankee  cruiser  riding  at  anchor  off  the 
coast,  and  also  saw  one  blockade-runner  come 
in.  What  sort  of  a  cargo  she  brought  I  don't 
know,  for  I  didn't  exchange  a  word  with  any 
of  her  crew." 


406  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

''  What's  tlie  matter  with  your  hand  ?  "  in- 
quired the  master's  mate. 

''De  Yankees  done  guv  him  dat  hand,  sar," 
said  Julius  promptly.  *'  Dey  done  knock  him 
'mos  dead  wid  a  shell." 

"The  Yankees!"  exclaimed  the  young 
rebel.     "Are  you  in  the  service ?" 

"I  was  running  the  blockade  when  I  was 
hurt,"  answered  Marcy.  "But  I  wasn't  hit 
by  a  shell.  I  was  knocked  down  by  a  heavy 
splinter." 

"  Pass  us  down  your  other  flipper,"  said  the 
officer,  standing  up  in  his  boat  and  extending 
his  hand.  "I  am  glad  to  meet  you.  When 
you  get  the  use  of  your  arm  again  come  aboard 
of  us.  We  need  men,  and  I  know  the  cajptain 
will  be  glad  to  take  you." 

"He  got  one  brother  in  de  navy  now,"  ad- 
ded Julius,  who  thought  that  Marcy  wasn't 
trying  half  hard  enough  to  make  the  boat' s 
crew  believe  that  he  was  loyal  to  the  flag  that 
waved  above  him. 

"  Is  that  so  ?  Then  if  he  comes  in  himself 
that  will  make  two,  won't  it  ?  Well,  I  will  de- 
tain you  no  longer.     Come  aboard  of  us  if  you 


CONCLUSION.  407 

can,  for  we  think  we  are  going  to  see  fun  here 
in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks.  Good-by  till  I 
see  you  again.     Shove  off,  for'ard." 

*' Julius,  I  am  afraid  you  talk  too  much," 
said  Marcy,  when  the  boat  was  left  out  of 
hearing.  "If  you  don't  keep  still  you  may 
get  me  into  trouble." 

"  Look  a  yere,  Marse  Marcy,"  said  Julius, 
"Marse  Jack  done  tol'  me  it  plum  time  forme 
to  Stan'  by  to  tell  what's  de  troof,  an'  I  ain't 
done  nufRn  else  sence  he  tol'  me  dat.  De 
Yankees  did  giiv  you  dat  hand,  you  done  got 
one  brother  in  de  navv,  an'  dat's  all  I  tol'  dat 
rebel.  I  didn't  say  you  a  rebel  you' self,  kase 
dat  would  be  a  plum  lie ;  an'  all  de  black  ones 
knows  it." 

At  the  end  of  two  hours  a  bend  in  the  shore 
hid  the  island  and  Commodore  Lynch' s  gun- 
boat from  view,  and  as  night  was  drawing  on 
apace,  Marcy  began  looking  around  for  a  suit- 
able spot  in  which  to  tie  up  for  the  night.  He 
knew  better  than  to  try  to  pass  Plymouth 
after  dark.  The  countersign  would  be  out, 
and  not  only  would  he  be  obliged  to  go  ashore 
to  get  it,  but  he  would  also  be  comx)elled  to 


408  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNEE. 

land  to  give  it  to  every  sentry  on  the  bank. 
That  would  be  a  good  deal  of  trouble  and 
might  prove  to  be  dangerous  as  well.  It  would 
give  the  soldiers  off  duty  a  chance  to  board  the 
schooner,  and  that  was  something  Marcy  did 
not  want  them  to  do.  They  would  go  all  over 
her,  peeping  into  every  locker  and  corner, 
steal  everything  they  could  get  into  their 
pockets  or  put  under  their  coats,  and  one  of 
them  might  accidentally  find  that  Union  flag. 
For  these  reasons  Marcy  thought  it  best  to  lie 
by  for  the  night. 

"It  will  bring  us  home  in  broad  daylight, 
Julius,  and  some  of  the  servants  will  be  sure 
to  see  you  when  you  leave  the  schooner  to  take 
me  ashore, ' '  said  he.  ' '  So  the  story  you  made  up 
to  tell  them  about  running  away  to  the  swamp, 
will  have  to  be  changed  to  something  else.  It 
would  have  to  be  changed  any  way,  for  of 
course  Captain  Beardsley  saw  you  when  he  ran 
bv  us  at  the  mouth  of  the  inlet." 

"I  been  thinkin'  'bout  dat,"  answered 
Julius,  "  an'  I  going  to  tell  nuffin  but  de  troof. 
Dat's    de    bes'.     I  was  stowed  away  on    de 


CONCLUSION.  409 

scliooner,  an'  you  nevah  knowed  it  till  you 
come  off  in  de  mawnin'  an'  cotcli  me." 

Marcy  said  nothing  more,  for  he  did  not 
believe  that  either  of  them  could  tell  a  story 
that  would  save  them  from  the  trouble  that 
Captain  Beardsley  would  surely  try  to  bring 
upon  himself  and  his  mother.  He  would  take 
Jack's  advice  and  lose  no  time  in  seeking  an 
interview  with  Aleck  Webster. 

Marcy  easily  found  a  hiding-place  for  the 
night,  and  bright  and  early  the  next  morning 
set  out  to  run  the  last  of  the  blockade — the 
garrison  at  Plymouth.  This  was  accomplished 
without  any  trouble  at  all,  the  depth  of  the 
water  permitting  Jalius  to  hold  so  close  in 
that  Marcy  could  throw  his  last  Newbern 
paper  ashore.  The  soldiers  scrambled  for  it 
as  if  it  had  been  a  piece  of  gold,  and  shouted 
for  him  to  send  off  some  more  ;  but  Marcy 
could  truthfully  say  that  he  had  no  more,  the 
garrison  at  Roanoke  Island  having  got  the 
others.  The  Northern  papers  were  too 
precious  to  be  given  to  rebels.  Those  were  to 
be  saved  for  his  mother. 


410  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

In  due  time  the  Fairy  Belle  reached  the 
mouth  of  Seven  Mile  Creek,  the  sails  were 
hauled  down,  and  Julius,  with  such  slim  aid  as 
Marcy  could  give  him  with  one  hand,  began 
the  work  of  towing  her  to  her  moorings.  It 
took  them  two  hours  to  do  this.  When  Marcy 
had  seen  her  made  fast  to  her  buoy  he  did  not 
get  out  of  the  skiff,  but  sent  Julius  aboard  the 
schooner  with  instructions  to  put  both  the  flags 
and  the  Northern  papers  into  his  valise  and 
hand  it  over  the  side.  To  his  great  surprise 
there  was  not  even  a  x^ickaninny  on  the  bank 
to  say,  "How  dy,  Marse  Marcy?"  and  he 
usually  found  them  out  in  full  force  whenever 
he  returned  from  his  sailing  trips.  Presently 
Julius  got  into  the  skiff  to  row  him  ashore, 
and  followed  him  to  the  house  carrying  the 
valise  in  his  hand  ;  but  even  when  they  passed 
through  the  gate  they  did  not  see  a  person 
about  the  premises,  nor  a  dog,  neither.  Bose 
seemed  to  have  ' '  holed  up ' '  the  same  as  the 
rest.  The  doors  and  windows  were  wide  open, 
but  where  were  the  house  servants  that  they 
were  not  singing  at  their  work  %  Marcy  did 
not  know  what  to  mnke  of  it,  and  Julius  gave 


CONCLUSION.  411 

it  as  his  opinion  that  something  done  been 
going  wrong  on  the  x^lantation. 

''I  believe  you  and  Jack,  between  yon,  have 
frightened  everybody  off  the  place,"  declared 
Marcj^,  little  dreaming  how  near  he  came  to 
the  truth  when  he  said  it.  "But  we'll  soon 
know  all  about  it,  for  here's  mother." 

He  ran  lightly  u^^  the  stej^s  to  greet  her  as 
she  api^eared  at  the  door,  but  stopped  short 
when  he  reached  the  gallery,  for  he  saw  that 
his  mother  was  as  solemn  as  her  surroundings. 
She  tried  to  call  a  cheerful  smile  to  her  face, 
but  the  effort  w^as  a  sad  failure. 

"What  in  the  w^orld  is  the  matter  here?" 
demanded  Marcy,  as  soon  as  he  could  speak. 
' '  Have  the  hands  all  run  away  ?  Where  is 
everybody?    Why  is  the  place  so  quiet?  " 

"Oh,  Marcy!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Gray,  mo- 
tioning to  Julius  to  take  the  valise  into  the 
house,  "such  a  strange  thing  has  happened 
since  you  w^ent  aw^ay.  Hanson  has  disappeared 
as  completely  as  though  he  had  never  been  on 
the  place  at  all." 

"  Good  enough,"  cried  Marcy,  giving  his 
mother  a  bear-like  hug   wdth  his  one   strong 


412         MARCy,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNEK. 


arm.  ''Now  we  shall  be  free  from  liis — eli  ? 
You  don't  mean  to  say  you  are  sorry  lie  has 
gone,  do  you  ?" 

"I  don't  know  whether  I  am  or  not,"  was 
the  astounding  reply.  ' '  If  he  had  left  of  his 
own  free  will  I  should  be  glad,  I  assure  you  ; 
but  the  manner  of  his  going  frightens  me." 

''The  manner r'  repeated  Marcy,  who  was 
all  in  the  dark. 

"Yes.  The  night  after  you  went  away, 
some  of  the  field  hands  w^ere  awakened  by  an 
unusual  noise  and  went  to  the  door  of  their 
cabins  to  see  a  party  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
masked  men  making  off,  with  Hanson  bound 
and  gagged  in  the  midst  of  them.  They  w^ere 
so  badly  frightened  that — Marcy,"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Gray,  holding  the  boy  off  at  arm's  length 
and  looking  searchingly  into  his  face,  "do 
you  know  anything  about  it  ?  Is  Jack  at  the 
bottom  of  this  strange  affair  ? " 

These  last  words  were  called  forth  by  the 
exclamation  of  surjprise  and  delight  that 
Marcy  uttered  when  the  truth  of  the  whole 
matter  flashed  suddenly  upon  him.  The 
absent  Jack  had  told  him  that  the  morning 


CONCLUSION.  413 

was  coming  when  his  mother  would  not  hear 
the  field  hands  called  to  work  because  there 
would  be  no  one  to  call  them,  and  his  predic- 
tion had  been  verified.  Aleck  Webster  was 
true  blue,  the  Union  men  who  held  secret 
meetings  in  the  swamp  could  be  depended  on 
to  liold  their  rebel  neighbors  in  check,  and 
Marcy  Gray  could  hardly  refrain  from  dancing 
Avith  delight  at  the  thought  of  it. 

^' Come  in  and  I  will  tell  you  all  I  know 
about  it,"  said  he,  throwing  his  arm  about  his 
mother's  waist  and  leading  her  into  the  hall. 
"  You  needn't  worry.  Every  one  of  the  men 
who   came  here  that  night  were  your  friends 

and  mine,  and  they " 

-     ^'  But  who  were  they  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Gray. 

''  It  is  probable  that  one  of  them  sailed  with 
Jack  when  he  was  on  the  West  Wind;  but 
who  the  others  were  I  don't  know,  audit  isn't 
at  all  likely  that  I  shall  ever  find  out,"  replied 
Marcy.  "  Not  in  the  dining-room,  please,  be- 
cause there's  a  stove-pipe  hole  in  the  ceiling 
that  leads  into  a  room  upstairs.  Oh,  it' s  a  fact," 
he  added  with  a  laugh,  when  his  mother  stopped 
and  looked  at  him.     *'  A  certain  jierson,  whose 


414  3IARCY5  THE  BLOCKADE-KUNNER. 

name  I  shall  presently  give  you,  listened  at 
that  pij)e-liole  time  and  again,  and  took  mes- 
sages straight  to  Hanson.  But  you'  11  not  blame 
him  when  you  hear  my  story.  Let's  go  into 
the  back  parlor.  By  the  way,  did  you  find 
your  breastpin  ? " 

His  mother  said  in  reply,  that  she  had  neither 
seen  nor  heard  of  it  since  the  day  it  was  stolen. 

''  Well  I've  got  it  safe  and  sound,"  contin- 
ued Marcy ;  and  then  he  settled  back  in  his 
chair  and  repeated,  almost  word  for  word,  the 
story  sailor  Jack  had  told  him  the  night  before 
he  left  for  the  blockading  fleet.  He  told  hoAv 
Julius  had  taken  the  pin  in  the  first  place,  how 
the  overseer  had  worked  upon  his  fears  to  com- 
pel him  to  give  it  up,  and  how  he  had  used  the 
power  which  the  possession  of  the  stolen  pin 
enabled  him  to  exercise  over  the  timid  black 
boy.  Then  he  described  how  sailor  Jack  and 
his '*  Enchanted  Goblet"  appeared  upon  the 
scene  ;  and  from  that  he  glided  into  the  history 
of  Jack's  acquaintance  with  Aleck  Webster, 
and  the  intervieAvs  he  had  held  with  him  at  the 
post-office.  But  there  were  two  things  he  did 
not  touch  upon — the  meeting  with    Captain 


CONCLUSION.  415 

Beardsley  at  Crooked  Inlet,  and  sailor  Jack's 
fears  that  the  Confederate  authorities  might  in- 
terest themselves  in  the  matter  if  they  learned, 
through  any  of  her  "secret  enemies,"  that  Mrs. 
Gray  kept  money  concealed  in  the  house.  His 
mother  was  profoundly  astonished,  and  when 
Marcy  finished  his  story  she  did  not  know 
whether  to  be  glad  or  frightened.  The  boy 
thought,  from  the  expression  of  her  counte- 
nance, that  he  had  added  to  her  fears. 

"You  don' t  act  as  if  you  were  pleased  a  bit," 
said  he  dolefully.  "Are  you  not  glad  to 
know  that  I  can  stay  at  home  now  ?  Beardsley 
has  got  to  quit  business,  and  of  course  he  can't 
make  any  more  excuses  to  take  me  away  from 
you.  He  never  did  need  a  i^ilot,  the  old  rascal. 
When  he  reads  the  warning  letter  that  is  wait- 
ing for  him  in  Xewbern,  he'll  fill  away  for  home 
without  the  loss  of  a  moment." 

"Of  course  I  am  glad  that  you  will  not  be 
obliged  to  go  to  sea  any  more,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray.  "  But  I  don't  want  those  Union  men  to 
destroy  Captain  Beardsley' s  property.  When 
you  see  this  man  Webster  I  hope  you  will  say 
as  much  to  him." 


416  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 


u 


If  it's  all  the  same  to  you,  mother,  I'll 
wait  and  see  how  Beardsley  conducts  himself," 
answered  Marcy,  who  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
trying  to  protect  a  man  who  had  done  all  he 
could  to  annoy  his  mother.  ''If  he  lets  us 
alone,  we'll  let  him  alone ;  but  if  he  bothers  us, 
he  had  better  look  out.  When  he  finds  out 
what  those  Union  men  did  to  Hanson,  I  think 
he  will  haul  in  his  horns.  I  wonder  if  Shelby 
and  Dillon  know  it  ?  " 

'*  That's  another  strange  thing  that  happened 
while  you  were  absent,  and  I  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Gray.  "Of 
course  the  story  of  the  overseer's  abduction 
spread  like  wild-fire,  and  I  know  it  must  have 
reached  the  village,  for  the  very  next  afternoon 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shelby  rode  out  to  visit  me  ;  and 
that  is  something  they  have  not  done  before 
since  these  troubles  began." 

"Aha!"  said  Marcy,  in  a  significant  tone. 
"  They  began  to  see  that  you  were  not  so  helj)- 
less  as  they  thought  you  were,  and  that  it 
might  be  to  their  interest  to  make  friends  with 


you. 

' '  That  is    what   I    think  now  that  I  have 


CONCLUSION.  417 

heard  your  story,"  replied  liis  mother,  "but  I 
did  not  know  what  to  think  at  the  time  they 
made  their  visit.  I  am  sorry  that  I  was  not 
more  courteous  to  them,  but  they  were  so 
very  cordial  and  friendly  themselves  that  it 
made  me  suspicious  of  them." 

"That  was  perfectly  right,"  said  Marcy  ap- 
provingly. "You  did  well  to  stand  on  the  de- 
fensive. Don't  let  them  fool  you  with  any  of 
their  specious  talk.  They're  treacherous  as 
Indians,  and  would  burn  your  house  over  your 
head  to-morrow,  if  they  were  not  afraid." 

"Oh,  I  hope  they  are  not  as  bad  as  that. 
What  do  you  think  these  Union  men  did  with 
the  overseer  %    They  didn'  t — didn'  t ' ' 

"  Kill  him  as  they  ought  to  have  done  V^  ex- 
claimed Marcy,  when  his  mother  hesitated. 
"No,  I  don't  think  they  did  ;  and  neither  can 
I  guess  what  they  did  with  him.  But  Jack 
said,  in  effect,  that  after  he  was  taken  away  he 
would  not  bother  us  again  for  a  long  while. 
Did  Shelby  ask  after  Jack  and  me  ?  " 

"He  did;  and  I  told  him  that  you  had 
gone  off  in  the  Fairy  Belle.  Mrs.  Shelby 
hinted  that  Jack  might  be  on  his  way  to  New- 

27 


418  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

bern  to  join  the  navy,  and  I  did  not  tliink  it 
worth  while  to  deny  it.  It  seems  Jack  told 
young  Allison  that  if  you  rode  into  Nashville 
alone  some  fine  morning,  Allison  might  know 
that  Jack  was  aboard  a  gunboat.  Of  course 
Mrs.  Shelby  thought  he  meant  a  rebel  gun- 
boat." 

*' Don't  you  believe  it,"  said  Marcy  earn- 
estly. ^'She  knew  better  than  that  and  so 
did  Allison.  Did  the  hands  seem  to  be 
very  badly  frightened  over  Hanson's  disap- 
pearance? " 

''  There  never  was  such  a  commotion  on  this 
plantation  before,"  answered  Mrs.  Gray.  "Ac- 
cording to  the  coachman's  story,  Jack  pre- 
dicted that  '  white  things  '  would  some  night 
appear  in  the  quarter  and  carry  Hanson  away 
with  them  ;  and  although  the  abductors  were 
not  dressed  in  white,  the  fact  that  they  came 
and  did  just  what  Jack  said  they  would  do 
was  terrifying  to  the  minds  of  the  superstitious 
blacks.  I  wish  Jack  would  not  tell  them  such 
ridiculous  tales." 

*^  He'll  not  be  likely  to  tell  them  any  more 
for  some  days  to  come,"  replied  Marcy.  "  But 


CONCLUSION.  419 

there  was  nothing  ridiculous  about  his  last 
story.  It  was  business,  and  I  think  that  vil- 
lain Hanson  found  it  so.  Now,  if  you  will 
come  up  to  my  room  and  stitch  my  Union  flag 
into  the  quilt  where  it  belongs,  I  will  hand 
over  your  breastx)in." 

When  this  had  been  done,  Marcy  strolled 
out  to  the  barn  to  tell  Morris  to  saddle  his 
horse,  and  to  see  what  the  old  fellow  thought 
of  the  situation.  Just  as  he  stepped  off  the 
gallery  he  heard  a  piercing  shriek,  and  hast- 
ened around  the  corner  of  the  house  to  find 
the  boy  Julius  struggling  in  the  grasp  of  the 
coachman,  who  flourished  the  carriage  whip 
over  his  head. 

"What  are  you  about,  there?"  demanded 
Marcy. 

"  He  going  whop  me  kase  I  say  Marse  Jack 
in  de  navy,"  yelled  Julius.  "Turn  me  loose, 
you  fool  niggah." 

"No,  I  ain't  going  whop  him  for  dat,  but 
for  lying,"  said  Morris,  releasing  his  captive 
with  the  greatest  reluctance,  and  with  difficulty 
restraining  his  desire  to  give  him  a  cut  around 
the  legs  as  he  ran  away.     "  He  say  Marse  Jack 


420  MARCY,  THE   BLOCKADE-EUNNER. 

gone  on  a  rebel  boat,  an'  I  know  in  reason  dat 
ain't  so." 

"You  won't  get  nuffin  mo'  outen  Julius  if 
you  whop  Mm  till  he  plum  dead,"  shouted  the 
black  boy,  who  had  taken  refuge  behind  Marcy 
and  was  holding  fast  to  him  with  both  hands. 
"  I  reckon  I  know  whar  Marse  Jack  gone,  kase 
I  was  dar." 

"Go  into  the  house,  Julius.  You  will  be 
safe  there ;  and,  besides,  your  mistress  wants 
to  see  you.  Put  the  saddle  on  Fanny,  Morris, 
and  I  will  ride  to  Nashville.  Where's  the 
overseer?" 

"Oh,  Marse  Marcy,  we  black  ones  so  glad 
you  done  come  back,"  exclaimed  the  coachman, 
throwing  his  whip  and  hat  on  the  ground,  and 
shaking  the  boy's  hand  with  both  his  OAvn. 
"We  safe  now.  Nobody  won't  come  to  de 
quarter  and  tote  folks  away  to  de  swamp  when 
you  around." 

"  Who  did  it  ? "  asked  Marcy. 

Morris  laughed  as  he  had  not  laughed  before 
since  Marcy  went  away.  ' '  Now  listen  at  you , ' ' 
said  he.  "How  you  reckon  a  pore  niggah 
know  who  done  it  %    Everybody  afraid  of  de 


co]srcLUSio:N'.  421 

niggalis  now-days;  everybody  'cepting  de 
Union  folks.  Going  get  'notlier  oberseer, 
Marse  Marcy  1 " 

"Yes.  I  think  I  shall  take  the  place  my- 
self." 

''Dar  now,"  said  Morris,  with  a  delighted 
grin.  "  Dem  niggahs  wuk  demselves  to  death 
for  you.  IS'ow  you  go  in  de  house  an'  tell  your 
maw  whar  you  going,  an'  I  bring  de  hoss  an' 
holp  you  in  de  saddle." 

Marcy  good-naturedly  complied,  and  hearing 
voices  coming  from  the  dining-room  he  went  in 
there,  and  found  Julius  listening  to  a  lecture 
from  Mrs.  Gray  on  the  sinfulness  of  stealing. 
But  Julius  defended  himself  with  spirit,  and 
declared  that  for  once  his  habit  of  i^icking  up 
any  little  articles  he  found  h^ing  around  loose 
had  been  productive  of  good  to  every  member 
of  the  family. 

''  When  I  put  dat  x)in  in  my  pocket,  missus, 
I  know  I  ain't  goin'  to  steal  it,"  he  j^rotested, 
with  so  much  earnestness  and  with  such  an 
appearance  of  sincerity  that  almost  anybody 
except  Mrs.  Gray  would  have  believed  him. 
"I  don't  do  no  stealin'.      I  jes'  want  to  look 


422  MAKCY,  THE  BLOCKADE- RUNNER. 

at  de  pin,  an'  I  goin'  put  it  back  wlien  I  get 
done  lookin'  at  it.  But  de  oberseer  lie  done 
took  it  away  from  me,  an'  dat's  de  way  you 
find  out  what  sort  of  a  man  be  is.  No,  missus  ; 
I  don't  steal.     I  always  tell  de  troof." 

Marcy  Gray  did  not  ride  to  Nashville  with 
any  hope  of  meeting  Aleck  Webster  that  day, 
and  consequently  he  was  most  agreeably  sur- 
prised when  he  saw  him  standing  on  the  steps 
of  the  post-office.  He  did  not  look  or  act  like 
a  man  who  had  been  engaged  in  any  under- 
hand business,  and  neither  did  Colonel  Shelby, 
Avho  hastened  down  the  steps  and  came  across 
the  road  to  the  hitching-rack  to  helj)  Marcy  off 
his  horse. 

''  So  glad  to  see  you  safe  back,"  was  the  way 
in  which  he  greeted  the  boy.  ' '  Your  brother 
said  that  if  you  came  down  here  without  him 
some  day  we  might  know  he  was  in  the  nav}^ ; 
so  I  suppose  that  is  where  he  is.  He  didn'  t 
waste  much  time  in  going,  did  he?  What's 
the  news  from  Newbern  ?  " 

Marcy  cut  his  rex)lies  as  short  as  he  could 
without  being  rude,  and  went  into  the  office  to 
look  at  his  mother's  box,  which  had  been  emp- 


CONCLUSION.  423 

tied  by  the  coachman  half  a  dozen  hours  before. 
He  exchanged  a  very  slight  nod  and  a  wink 
with  Aleck  Webster  as  he  passed  him,  and  the 
latter,  who  seemed  to  know  just  what  he 
meant  by  the  pantomime,  mounted  his  horse 
when  no  one  but  Marcy  was  watching  him  and 
went  down  the  road  toward  Mrs.  Gray's  ^lan- 
tation.  There  were  plenty  of  loungers  in  the 
office,  young  Allison,  of  course,  being  one  of 
the  most  talkative  ones  among  them,  and  al- 
though they  seemed  to  know  Avliere  Jack  was, 
they  could  not  imagine  what  had  become  of 
Hanson. 

"I  tell  you  honestly,  Marcy,  that  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  that  Confederate  flag  in  your  mother's 
dining-room,  we  should  have  laid  his  abduction 
at  your  door,"  said  Allison.  "But  the  flag 
proves  that  you  are  all  right ;  and,  besides,  you 
couldn'  t  have  had  a  hand  in  it,  for  you  were  on 
your  way  to  ISTewbern  when  it  hapx)ened.  It 
opened  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that  there  are 
traitors  among  us,  and  that  we  must  be  careful 
who  we  talk  to." 

' '  Traitors, ' '  repeated  Marcy.  ' '  I  don' t  know 
what  you  are  trying  to  get  at.     Hanson  told  me 


424  MAECY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNEK. 


) 


with  his  own  lij^s  that  he  was  a  Union  man. 
Kelsey  told  me  the  same,  and  brought  word  to 
the  house  that  Colonel  Shelby  and  Mr.  Dillon 
wanted  Hanson  discharged ;  but  I  sent  back 
word  that  if  they  wanted  the  overseer  run  o& 
the  place  they  could  come  up  and  do  the  work 
themselves,  for  I  would  have  no  hand  in  it.  I 
don't  want  to  get  my  neighbors  down  on  me  if 
I  can  help  it.  If  Hanson  was  a  Union  man,  as 
he  professed  to  be  (and  I  don't  know  whether 
he  was  or  not,  for  I  would  not  talk  politics  with 
him),  it  Avas  Confederates  living  right  around 
here  who  came  to  the  quarter  and  took  him 
away." 

Marcy  saw  by  the  astonished  look  that  came 
to  Allison's  face  that  all  this  w^as  news  to  him, 
and  this  made  it  plain  that  he  was  not  in  Colo- 
nel Shelby's  "ring."  He  backed  up  against 
one  of  the  counters  and  glanced  around  at  his 
companions,  but  had  not  another  word  to  say. 
The  time  came  wdien  he  was  admitted  into  the 
"ring,"  and  showed  himself  to  be  one  of  the 
most  active  and  aggressive  ones  in  it.  To  keep 
up  appearances  Marcy  bought  a  paper,  took 
another  look  at  his  mother's  box  and  left  the 


cOiSrcLusiON.  425 

office ;  and  as  no  one  went  with  liim  to  help 
him  on  his  horse,  he  led  her  alongside  the 
fence  and  mounted  without  assistance.  A  mile 
and  a  half  from  !N"ashville  the  road  followed 
the  windino-s  of  a  little  creek  whose  banks  were 
thickly  wooded.  As  he  drew  near  this  point 
he  dropped  the  reins  upon  his  horse's  neck  and 
pulled  his  paper  from  his  pocket — not  with 
any  intention  of  reading  it,  but  to  be  in  readi- 
ness to  answer  Aleck  Webster's  hail  Avhen  he 
heard  it.  It  came  before  he  had  ridden  twenty 
yards  farther.  The  man  had  hidden  his  horse 
in  the  bushes,  and  now  stood  in  the  edge  of 
them  within  easy  speaking  distance,  but  out  of 
sight  of  any  one  who  might  be  watching  Marcy 
Gray. 

"You  are  Mr.  Jack's  brother,  ain't  you?" 
said  he,  as  Marcy  stopped  his  horse  and  fast- 
ened his  eyes  upon  the  paper  he  held  in  his 
hand.  "  I  thought  so  ;  and  I  want  to  know  if 
you  are  satisfied,  by  what  we  did  wdiile  you 
were  gone,  that  we  will  do  to  trust." 

"  We  are  more  than  satisfied,"  replied  Marcy. 
"We'll  never  forget  you  for  it.  What  did 
you  do  with  him  ?  " 


426  MARCY,  THE  BLOCKADE-RUNNER. 

"  Turned  Mm  loose  with  orders  never  to  show 
liis  face  in  the  settlement  again.  We  wanted 
to  take  him  off  to  the  fleet ;  but  of  course  we 
couldn't,  for  he  wasn't  in  the  rebel  service. 
Shelby  was  sort  of  civil  to  you,  wasn't  he? 
Well,  he  got  a  letter,  same  as  Beardsley  did,  or 
Avill  when  he  gets  to  Newbern " 

^'  He's  in  Xewbern  now,"  interrux)ted  Marcy, 
still  keeping  his  gaze  fastened  upon  the  paj)er. 
''We  passed  him  at  Crooked  Inlet  just  as  we 
were  going  out.  That  frightened  Jack,  and  he 
told  me  to  lose  no  time  in  telling  you  of  it." 

"That's  all  right;  but  Beardsley  will  not 
trouble  you.  We've  written  letters  to  him 
and  Shelby  and  all  the  rest  telling  them  that  if 
they  don't  stop  persecuting  Union  folks  we'll 
burn  everything  they've  got  ;  and  if  that 
don't  quieten  them,  we'll  hang  the  last  one  of 
them  to  the  plates  of  their  own  galleries.  Go 
home  and  sleep  soundly.  We'll  take  care  of 
you.     Where  did  you  leave  Mr.  Jack  1 ' ' 

Marcy  gave  a  brief  history  of  his  run  to  the 
blockading  fleet  and  back,  told  how  very 
badly  frightened  his  mother's  servants  were 
when  they  saw  the  overseer  carried  away  by 


CONCLUSION.  427 

armed  men,  and  how  the  circumstance  had 
affected  some  of  the  "secret  enemies"  of 
whom  they  stood  so  mucli  in  fear ;  hinted  very 
plainly  that  if  at  any  time  Aleck  or  any  of  his 
friends  found  themselves  in  need  of  bacon, 
meal,  or  money,  they  could  have  their  wants 
supplied  at  his  mother's  house,  and  wound  up 
by  urging  him  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  Captain 
Beardsley. 

"I  don't  think  he  will  ever  trouble  you," 
was  Aleck' s  reply.  ' '  At  any  rate,  he  will  never 
make  you  go  to  sea  again  against  your  will. 
But  if  anything  does  hapx3en  to  you  after  the 
warning  we  have  given  him,  we'll  blame  him 
for  it,  whether  he  is  guilty  or  not,  and  some 
night  you  will  see  his  buildings  going  up  in 
smoke.  Is  there  any  one  on  the  road  who  will 
be  likely  to  see  me  if  I  come  out?  Well,  then, 
good-bye." 

Marcy  put  his  paper  into  his  pocket  and 
rode  away  with  a  light  heart,  little  dreaming 
how  soon  the  time  would  come  when  another 
of  sailor  Jack's  predictions  would  be  partly 
fulfilled,  and  he,  the  well-fed  Marcy  Grray, 
standing  sorely  in  need  of  some  of  the  bacon 


428        MAKCY,  THE  blockade-run:n^er. 

and  meal  lie  had  promised  Aleck  and  his 
friends,  would  steal  up  to  his  mother's  house 
like  a  thief  in  the  night  to  get  them,  starting 
at  every  sound,  and  keeping  clear  of  every 
shadow  he  saw  in  his  path  for  fear  that  it 
might  be  an  armed  man  lying  in  wait  to  cap- 
ture him.  But  that  time  came.  It  is  true 
that  Captain  Beardsley  and  his  friends  did  not 
do  anything  against  him  openly  (they  were 
afraid  to  do  that),  but  they  worked  against 
him  in  secret  and  to  such  purpose  that  Marcy 
Gray,  forced  to  become  a  fugitive  from  his 
home,  was  glad  to  take  up  his  abode  for  a 
while  with  the  Union  men  who  lived  in  the 
swamp.  How  this  unfortunate  state  of  aifairs 
was  brought  about,  what  young  Allison  did 
after  he  became  a  member  of  the  "  ring,"  and 
how  Captain  Beardsley,  Colonel  Shelby,  and 
the  rest  paid  the  j)enalty  of  their  double  deal- 
ing, shall  be  told  in  the  next  volume  of  this 
series  of  books,  which  will  be  entitled, 
^' Marcy,  the  Refugee." 

THE  end. 


The 

Famous 

Oastlemon 

Books. 

BY 

Harry 
Castlemon. 


Specimen  Cover  of  the  Gunboat 
Series. 


No  author  of  the  present  day  has  become  a  greater  favorite  with  boys  than 
*' Harry  Castlemon;  "  every  book  by  him  is  sure  to  meet  with  hearty  re- 
ception by  young  readers  generally.  H;s  naturalness  and  vivacity  lead  his 
readers  trom  page  to  page  with  breathless  interest,  and  when  one  volume  i-i 
finished  the  fascinated  reader,  like  Oliver  Twist,  asks  "  for  more." 

*^*Any  volume  sold  separately. 


GUNBOAT  SERIES.      By  Harry  Castlemon.      6 
vols.,  i2mo.     Fully  illustrated.     Cloth,  extra,  printed 

in  colors.     In  box ^7  5^ 

Frank,  the  Young  Naturalist i  25 

Frank  in  the  "Woods i  25 

Frank  on  the  Prairie i  25 

Frank  on  a  Gunboat i  25 

Frank  before  Vicksburg i  25 

Frank  on  the  Lower  Mississippi    ......  i  25 


2  PORTER   &   COATES'S   POPULAR  JUVENILES. 

GO  AHEAD  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon.  3 
vols,,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box ^3  75 

Go  Ahead ;  or,  The  Fisher  Boy's  Motto i   25 

No  Moss ;  or,  The  Career  of  a  Rolling  Stone  ....       i  25 

Tom  Nevrcombe  ;  or,  The  Boy  of  Bad  Habits     .    .       i  25 

ROCKY    MOUNTAIN    SERIES.      By    Harry 

Castlemon.     3  vols.,  i2mo.     Fully  illustrated.     Cloth, 
extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box    . $3  75 

Frank  at  Don  Carlos'  Rancho i  25 

Frank  among   the   Rancheros i  25 

Frank  in  the  Mountains i  25 

SPORTSMAN'S  CLUB  SERIES.  By  Harry 
Castlemon.  3  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth, 
extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box ^3  75 

The    Sportsman's  Club  in  the  Saddle  ....      i  25 

The  Sportsman's  Club  Afloat i  25 

The  Sportsman's  Club  among  the  Trappers  .      i  25 

FRANK  NELSON  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castle- 
mon. 3  vols.  l2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra, 
printed  in  colors.     In  box ^3  75 

Snowed  Up  ;  or.  The  Sportsman's  Club  in  the  Mts.  .      i  25 

Frank  Nelson  in  the  Forecastle  ;  or.  The  Sports- 
man's Club  among  the  Whalers i   25 

The  Boy  Traders  ;  or,  The  Sportsman's  Club  among 

the  Boers I  25 

BOY  TRAPPER  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
3  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box i^3  75 

The  Buried  Treasure  ;    or,  Old  Jordan's  "  Haunt "     i  25 

The   Boy  Trapper ;  or.  How  Dave  Filled  the  Order  .      i  25 

The  Msiil  Carrier i  25 


PORTER    &   COATES'S    POPULAR   JUVENILES.  3 

ROUGHING  IT  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
3  vols.,  l2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box 1^3  75 

George  in  Camp  ;  or,  Life  on  the  Plains i  25 

George  at  the  Wheel ;  or,  Life  in  a  Pilot  House  .      i  25 

George  at  the  Fort ;  or,  Life  Among  the  Soldiers  .      i  25 

ROD  AND  GUN  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
3  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box $3  75 

Don  Gordon's  Shooting  Box i  25 

Rod  and  Gun i  25 

The  Young  "Wild  Fcwlers i  25 

FOREST  AND  STREAM  SERIES.  By  Harry 
Castlemon.  3  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth, 
extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box ^3  75 

Joe  Wayring  at  Home  ;  or,  Story  of  a  Fly  Rod    .       i  25 

Snagged  and  Sunk  ;  or,  The  Adventures  of  a  Can- 
vas Canoe  I  25 

Steel  Horse ;  or.  The  Rambles  of  a  Bicycle  ....      i  25 

WAR  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon.  3  vols., 
l2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed  in 
colors.     In  box ^3  75 

True  to  his  Colors i  25 

Rodney,  the  Partisan i  25 

Marcy,  the  Blockade  Runner    ........      i  25 

OUR  FELLOWS  ;  or,  Skirmishes  with  the  Swamp 
Dragoons.  By  Harry  Castlemon.  i6mo.  Fully  illus- 
trated.    Cloth,  extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box  ...    i^i  25 


Alger's 

Renowned 

Books. 

BY 

Horatio 
Alger,  Jr. 


Specimen  Cover  of  the  Ragged 
Dick  Series. 

Horatio  Alger,  Jr.,  has  attained  distinction  as  one  of  the  most  popular 
writers  of  books  for  boys,  and  the  following  list  comprises  all  of  his  best 
books. 

^*^  Any  volume  sold  separately. 


RAGGED  DICK  SERIES.  By  Horatio  Alger, 
Jr.  6  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra, 
printed  in  colors.     In  box $7  S^ 

Ragged  Dick  ;  or.  Street  Life  in  New  York    ....      i  25 

Fame   and   Fortune ;   or.  The  Progress  of  Richard 

Hunter i   25 

Mark,  the  Match  Boy  ;  or,  Richard  Hunter's  Ward     i  25 

Rough  and  Ready ;  or,  Life  among  the  New  York 

Newsboys i  25 

Ben,  the  Luggage  Boy  ;  or.  Among  the  Wharves   .      i  25 

Rufus   and   Rose ;   or,  the   Fortunes  of  Rough  and 

Ready i  25 

TATTERED  TOM  SERIES.  (First  Series.) 
By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  4  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illus- 
trated.    Cloth,  extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box  ,    ,    .      5  *^ 

(4) 


^^.    Microfilmed 
SOLINET/ASERL  PROJECT 


/^ 


I 


